SAINT PETERSBURG (AFP): A prominent Saint Petersburg-based Napoleon expert has confessed to murdering his young lover and former student and dismembering her body in a grisly crime that sent shock waves across Russia. Sokolov teaches history at Saint Petersburg State University, President Vladimir Putin's alma mater, and was close to the Russian authorities. Both he and his lover studied French history and liked to wear period costumes, with Sokolov dressing up as Napoleon. More than 800 people have signed a petition calling on authorities to punish the Saint Petersburg State University leadership. "What happened is simply monstrous," a Saint Petersburg State University lecturer told AFP.

Source: The Star November 11, 2019 05:29 UTC