Mikhail Popkov The Killer Essay

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Mikhail Popkov the Killer
In criminology it is taught that people commit acts of deviance or crime based are various personal circumstances. The social class that you are raised in can affect choices you make in life like whether to obey or disobey rules and laws that govern society. There are theories that cover the gambit of the why people commit acts of assault, rape and murder. This paper will discuss how Classical and Rational Choice Theories can help to understand the actions of the cold blooded killer, Mikhail Popkov.
Mikhail Popkov was born on March 7, 1964 in Angarsk Russia (Pyatenok, 2012). He was raised by his mother, who according to him was an alcoholic and abusive parent. He worked as a policeman in Angarsk and security guard at the local oil company. Popkov was married with one child. By all accounts he was a charming and sociable person. His deceptive lifestyle came to light in June 2012 when he was arrested for the murder of 25 local women. There ages ranged from 19-40 with 25 victims being between the ages of 19-28. The spectrum of women had been brutally murdered and strangled with trauma signs of screwdriver, awl, and axe usage on various victims (Chasmar, 2013). These killings occurred from 1992-2000 and might have continued if not for DNA evidence uncovering the truth (Stewart, 2013).
The only victim to survive, known only as Svetlana M., tried to convince police that an officer had attacked and attempted to kill her. She was even able to identify his picture but due to Popkov’s wife giving him an alibi, the policeman did not believe her and he continued to live as a free man. If not for the biological evidence left behind on the victims and a DNA match to Popkov, he might have never paid for his crimes (...

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.... It is understood that traumatic events in childhood can affect how you deal with life trials as an adult. Responsibility must occur somewhere at some time I believe. As Beccaria believed, I too think people have freewill and act certain in ways dependent upon the circumstances surrounding them. There are times when everyone makes the statement “I could just kill him or her” but they don’t go out and commit murders arbitrarily. Most people can control fits of rage and urges that would have those committing acts of horror as Popkov committed. Theories can label actions and help to explain someone might have performed such acts of pain and death against others. There are those that are mentally unstable and do not comprehend their actions but I think those are in the minority. People make conscious decisions whether to do various or no to do various actions daily.

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