Villagers watched on in silence as known serial killer murdered six people

A serial killer who murdered six of his neighbours in the full knowledge of his terrified community has been jailed for 19 years.

The 58-year-old, whose name has only been given as V Kolebin, took the lives of his victims over a 15 year period until he was finally caught by the authorities.

But in a macabre twist, investigators have discovered everyone living in the town of Rybnoye, in Krasnoyarsk, was aware of his sinister activities - but chose to stay quiet. It is believed no one wanted to tell police for fear of becoming the next victim.

A journalist for the TV6 news in Krasnoyarsk said: 'Investigators said he was never under suspicion. One of the strangest and scariest moments of this story is that during the years of the murders the maniac’s fellow villagers knew he was guilty, and kept quiet.

'The village has about one and a half thousand people but none of them spoke before the court case. Locals say the maniac had a list of villagers that by his opinion had to be killed, therefore they are very nervous that after getting back from jail he will start all over again.'

Kolebin’s first victim was a 38-year-old friend, who was shot dead with a hunting gun during a conflict 15 years ago. That murder seemed to spark a spree, and shortly afterwards he killed his own 37-year-old nephew with an axe and then a 43-year-old man.

In 2009 he killed a young woman, and then in 2013 another woman, aged 37 years old. The last murder, which led police to finally find him, was in February 2014, when he shot dead a local farmer, aged 54.

The full details of the murder spree only emerged in the TV-6 report, with the news reporter saying that 'fear paralysed the community'. The report adds: 'One after one, and in front of other villagers, he was killing his relatives, friends and acquaintances.'

Incredibly, the relatives and friends of the victims have confessed that they knew who killed their love ones but turned a blind eye.

The killer’s sister Alexandra Godunova, whose son was murdered, said: 'I was telling him so many times – OK you killed him, but at least throw away his remains so that we can pick them up and bury him like a man. 

'Of course we were scared of him. I was scared so much I didn’t even dare getting close to the window in my house in evenings. For years I was scared of him like mad - and so was everyone else, because he always had a knife and a rifle on him.'

One of the murderer’s former girlfriends Nina Reshetnikova, whose brother was killed, said: 'He was burying them without me, but some of them were killed in front of me. 

'It was nine years of fear. I was helpless. He killed three people, including my own brother, and I still was quiet. The only thing I managed to do was to leave him. 

'But he kept visiting and kept telling me about his other victims. He told me about murdering his other girlfriend. He said she was begging him to save her life, standing on her knees. But he strangled her and then took a huge knife he uses for chopping cabbage, and stabbed her with it.'

It is thought the killer kept a personal graveyard, containing the bodies of his girlfriend and nephew. As soon as he was detained by police, his house was set on fire.

Investigators say the murderer confessed that he killed people on a list that he deemed to be 'worthless'.

Andrey Sereda, Senior Investigator of Rybninsky district of the Russian Investigative Committee, said: 'I am not aware of the list myself, but all the murders he did were, as he explained, 'clearing up murders'.  He said to us, ‘I was getting rid of people worthless to society - I was cleaning up.’'

Kolebin was sentenced to 19 years in jail, 10 of which will be served in a strict correction colony.