Vladimir Nikolayevich Nikolayev (born March 16, 1959) is a Russian murderer from Novocheboksarsk. He is best known for the cannibalism of his victims, and of distributing and selling their flesh to others in disguise of exotic animal meat.

Nikolayev had a long criminal history, first being convicted for theft and robbery in 1980. On his own account, the first murder happened "accidentally" when Nikolayev killed a drinking companion, during a fist fight. He then carried the victim upstairs to his apartment and attempted to revive him with cold water. When he realized that the man was dead he dismembered his body in the bathtub. Nikolaev has stated via later interview that it was not originally his intent to cannibalize his victims, but rather the idea occurred to him spontaneously while dismembering the first body.

He was discovered when some people who ate the product Nikolayev procured as "Saiga trimmings" became suspicious of the taste and submitted it to a doctor. Upon analysis the meat was found to contain human blood. Vladimir Nikolayev was arrested and confessed shortly thereafter. Investigators searched his apartment, where they found human remains and a heavily blood stained bathtub.

In 1997 Vladimir Nikolayev was convicted under articles 105, 152, 162 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. He was sentenced to death. In 1999, by presidential decree, the death penalty was suspended, being replaced by life imprisonment.

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