A Russian priest is under arrest after authorities say he allegedly turned his home into a Halloween house of horrors by beheading his wife in front of his frightened children.
Mikhail Zubarev, 40, allegedly decapitated 44-year-old Viktoria Zubareva by slashing her throat before ripping her head off her neck.
Zubarev then allegedly stored his wife’s head in the freezer, where authorities found her skull earlier today.
According to one report shared on Russian television, Zubarov allegedly decapitated his wife, bathed in her blood, then said a prayer over her remains and asked the couple’s eight-year-old daughter to join in prayers.
But according to another report, the couple’s 17-year-old son found his mother’s decapitated skull in the freezer and called authorities.
Regardless of the particulars of the story, police don’t have a motive for the alleged killing, and the children are currently in police custody.
Parishioners had previously shared concerns about Zubarov’s “odd” behavior. Last month, he was suspended from his post in the Russian Orthodox Church.
Zubarov is currently in jail without parole and faces a potential life sentence if convicted of murder.
Church leaders have come forward to publicly denounce Zubarov, and said that they received the news of his wife’s murder “with great sorrow”.
The leaders also told their parishioners to pray for the Zubarov children, who have now been “orphaned.”
