Medford man to be arraigned on murder charge after missing couple found dead in storage unit

MEDFORD, Mass. — A Medford man is set to be arraigned Tuesday on a murder charge in connection with the brutal stabbing deaths of a married couple found in storage bins.

Leonid Volkov, 37, of Medford, was charged with murder after the bodies of Pavel Vekshin, 28, and Kiryl Schukin, 37, were found inside a Brighton storage unit last week. Vekshin and Schukin were last seen at the end of March and were reported missing by friends and coworkers on Sunday, April 9.

Investigators searched a unit at the iStorage facility on North Beacon St. in Brighton on Friday and discovered the bodies of Schukin and Vekshin, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.

“Investigators executed a search warrant at that Brighton storage unit which has been rented by Mr. Volkov using the name of Mr. Schukin,” Ryan said in a press conference over the weekend. “Upon entering the unit, they locate the bodies of both men inside rubber storage bins.”

Ryan said investigators also found bleach, gloves, and other items in the storage unit.

“The investigation shows that both men succumbed to multiple stab wounds,” Ryan said. “The body of the man identified as Mr. Schukin had, in fact, been dismembered, and had been placed among several of those bins.”

Ryan said the murders were not random and the suspect knew the victims. She said Schukin had been a guarantor on Volkov’s lease, meaning he would make payments if Volkov was unable to pay his rent.

“As a result of some dispute, Mr. Schukin recently declined to continue in that role,” Ryan said. “That refusal was resulting in Mr. Volkov’s eviction from that apartment.”

Ryan noted that Schukin was last seen alive on March 29, when he and Volkov were spotted talking inside the cab of a rented U-Haul truck.

“We later determined that an individual identified as Mr. Volkov was seen on video in the ensuing days entering and leaving the apartment building of the victims,” Ryan said. “Police subsequently located that same U-Haul truck at the storage facility in Brighton where the bodies were found.”

Ryan added that Volkov used that truck to move items from the victims’ apartment to the storage facility.

Volkov is facing one count of murder, but Ryan said more charges will be filed.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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