Dmitriy Yakovlev is currently on trial for the murders and subsequent identity thefts of two people, one of which was found dead and disarticulated in the New Jersey woods in 2005. A vampire mask was found next to the body of Viktor Alekseyev, but tests have shown no fingerprint or DNA evidence linking the mask to Yakovlev. However, prosecutors argue that's because the former surgeon may have used gloves. "Don't you think the person who would think to wear gloves is the surgeon?" said Assistant Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Amanda Hector. "The defendant wasn't sloppy, he was the scariest kind of murderer because he was careful."
Defense lawyer Michael Gold still argued that "anyone with knowledge of how to carve a Thanksgiving turkey" could have disarticulated a body, which entails separating the bones from the joints. Irina Malezhik disappeared in 2007 after "business dealings" with Yakovlev, and Alekseyev had reportedly been involved in a real estate transaction with Yakovlev before he vanished. Yakovlev also allegedly had checks totaling over $300,000 made out to Michael Klein, who disappeared in 2003 after selling his house. The jury begins deliberations today.
