Arrested Russian killer denies ties to Pussy Riot

MOSCOW - The Associated Press

This image taken from TV footage provided by The Associated Press Television News shows a place where two women stabbed to death were found under this sign on the wall of their apartment in the central Russian city of Kazan on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. AP Photo

Investigators say police have detained a man who has confessed to killing two women in a central Russian city and trying to mislead investigations by scrawling a message at the murder scene demanding freedom for jailed members of the Pussy Riot band.
 
Russia’s Investigative Committee said Friday that the man - a 38-year-old university professor named Igor Danilevsky - was detained Thursday in Kazan.
 
The committee said Danilevsky wanted the deaths of the 38-year-old woman he dated and her 76-year-old mother to appear as if they were a "ritual killing". It added that he had convinced the woman to take out a loan to repay his debts.
 
Three band members have been sentenced to two years in prison for a stunt at Moscow’s main cathedral entreating the Virgin Mary to save Russia from President Vladimir Putin.