Antarctic Researcher Allegedly Stabbed Colleague Who Spoiled Book Endings

Did you know there has only ever been one attempted murder on the frozen continent of Antarctica? Keep reading to learn about the coldest case ever.

Persons Involved

Our story involves two people and two people only. First, the victim, 52-year-old welder Oleg Beloguzov, and 54-year-old electrical engineer Sergei Savitsky. The two researchers had been spending a lot of time at the Bellingshausen Station for about 6 months.

For context, the Bellingshausen Station only gets about 24 days of sunlight every year and is situated on King Island, which averages 1.6 degrees Celsius during its warmest month. The station consists of 15 small one-story buildings and can only house 40 people at a time. As we know, the Antarctic is one of the most isolated places on the planet and let’s just say darkness and extreme isolation aren’t great for a person’s psyche.

The Incident

We might as well dive right into what was a rather tragic turn of events. If you’ve ever had someone ruin the ending of a book for you, then you’re familiar with the rage that consumes you when it happens. While most of us have to force that rage down and bottle it up, Sergei handled things somewhat differently.

It’s important to note that things were allegedly already tense between the two since they had to spend so much time together. Both men considered themselves fans of the written word, so they tried to pass the time by reading. That is until Oleg began to spoil the ending of books for Sergei over and over and over again. One thing led to another, and, well, Savitsky ended up stabbing Beloguzov several times in the chest with a kitchen knife.

Injuries

While Beloguzov’s heart was injured in the stabbing, he was rushed to the military hospital in Chile and managed to survive the incident. Now, while this seems like a bizarre turn of events, this wasn’t the first, nor probably the last incident on the continent. Priors include a mysterious poisoning, a doctor burning down his own research station to avoid the winter, a disagreement that led to a hammer fight, and a person becoming so violent they had to be locked in a storage locker for months.

The Aftermath

Have we mentioned how dark and isolated Antarctica is? Because of this unique setting of an attempted murder, it was reported that Savitsky voluntarily surrendered and was held in a nearby church. Seems innocent enough, right? Guess again. The Trinity Church, the only permanently staffed Eastern Orthodox Church in the Antarctic, has an interesting purpose: to provide funerals to those who die on the continent. The church is manned by two priests who worked as Savitsky’s guards for 10 days until he returned to Russia. Because this crime was committed in the Deep South, Savitsky was required to return home to be punished according to his home country’s laws.

364.1 Book Recs (No Spoilers)

In this instance, Savitsky says he never intended to murder Beloguzov, but as any true crime junkie knows, that is certainly not always the case. Whether you’ve never missed an episode of Dateline or you’re just starting to get into the true crime craze, here are five true crime titles we recommend:

If You Tell by Gregg Olsen

Three sisters Nikki, Sam, and Tori, lived under their sadistic mother’s roof for years where they were subject to unimaginable torture and abuse. In this story of survival in the most tragic of circumstances, these sisters eventually use their combined strength to escape the house of horrors.

College Girl, Missing by Shawn Cohen

A gripping true story about a college girl who disappeared in plain sight. Author Shawn Cohen was also one of the journalists who covered her original missing persons case and followed the story throughout the years.

Lost Girls by Robert Kolker

Five bodies were found on the same Long Island beach in 2010. Working closely with the women’s families, Lost Girls tells the stories of their deaths and their lives, offering a searing portrait of crime and circumstance.

The Innocent Man by John Grisham

While you can catch The Innocent Man on Netflix, it started out as a book, and, well, we may be biased but we tend to think the book is better. John Grishman brings us this gripping tale that tells the story of a small-town Oklahoma murder, a botched investigation, and a coerced false confession from a washed-up town hero.

Burned: A True Story of Murder and the Crime That Wasn’t by Edward Humes

In 1992 Jo Ann Parks received a life sentence for the deaths of her three children who were killed in a house fire that she reportedly started according to investigators. Over 25 years later, the California Innocence Project may have just the proof they need to get her exonerated.