RUSSIA, 2021 In the summer of 2021, what started as a routine emergency case turned into a horrific tragedy. Twenty-seven-year-old Konstantin Panichev was brought to the hospital with minor injuries from a gas-powered pistol. While he was being treated and everything seemed to be calming down, another patient – a 57-year-old man in critical condition – was admitted to the same ward.
Konstantin Panichev
Upon seeing the man, Panichev suddenly snapped. He launched a savage attack, mistaking the patient for the person who had wounded him. In a psychotic episode, he stabbed the man in the chest with a pen, broke his neck, shoved him off a stretcher, and stomped on him until his skull was crushed. The scene shocked hospital staff and other patients.
Panichev later told investigators that he was suffering from hallucinations and believed he was defending himself. He has since been committed to a psychiatric hospital.
