Nikolay Soltys

Case information

• Name: Nikolay Soltys
• Also known as: Mykola Soltys, Nikolay A. Soltys, Nikolay Alekseyevi Soltys
• Born: May 19, 1974
• Died: February 13, 2002
• Place: Sacramento County Jail, Sacramento County
• Citizenship/immigration: Ukrainian immigrant
• Other ties: Canada; New York; California; Seattle, Washington; Charlotte, North Carolina
• Physical description (as used in the FBI announcement): white male, 6'0", 165 pounds, blond or brown hair and blue eyes; speaks broken English with an accent

Timeline

• August 20, 2001 — A state arrest warrant for murder was issued for Nikolay Soltys by the California Superior Court for the County of Sacramento in Sacramento, California.
• August 20, 2001 — A federal arrest warrant issued by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California charged Soltys with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
• August 21, 2001 — Investigators located Sergei’s body in an empty field in Roseville, California.
• August 21, 2001 — Police discovered Soltys' Nissan Altima with two family photographs inside with notes written in Russian on the back; one note had directions to the body of Sergey, his 3-year-old son; the second listed the slayings, suggesting the victims were killed "for speaking out."
• August 22, 2001 — Police searching for Nikolay Soltys believed he could still be in the same Sacramento neighborhood where the killings occurred, and canvassed Ukrainian neighborhoods in San Francisco, Seattle and Charlotte, North Carolina.
• August 23, 2001 — Soltys was added to the FBI's Most Wanted list.
• August 26, 2001 — More than 5,000 members of Sacramento's Eastern European community packed into the Bethany Slavic Missionary Church for the funerals of four of the six slain family members.
• August 30, 2001 — After a 10-day nationwide manhunt, Soltys was captured at his mother's backyard in Sacramento, and arrested without incident.
• September 6, 2001 — Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully charged Nikolay Soltys with the murder of his unborn child, bringing the total murder charges to seven.
• September 9, 2001 — Thousands of mourners in Shumsk, Ukraine, attended the funeral of Lyubov and Sergei Soltys.
• December (prior to Feb 14, 2002) — Soltys last appeared in court three days before jumping off a jail balcony; jail officials said he leaped from the second floor after he was ordered back to his cell.
• October (prior to Feb 14, 2002) — Soltys was placed under a medical watch after he punctured his chest several times with a pencil.
• February 13, 2002 — Soltys was found hanged to death in his Sacramento jail cell.
• February 14, 2002 — Three separate psychologists said Soltys was not a suicide risk.

The offence

Nikolay Soltys was charged with the murder of six of his family members in and around the Sacramento area in late August 2001, and he was also charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

The events described included:

• Soltys allegedly stabbed his 23-year-old pregnant wife, Lyobov to death in their North Highlands, California home on August 20, 2001.
• Soltys was suspected of killing his aunt and an uncle and two young cousins after the killing of his wife.
• After the first five murders, Soltys allegedly drove to his mother's house and picked up his 3-year-old son, Sergei.
• Police later located Sergei’s body in an empty field in Roseville, California on August 21, 2001.
• One account described Sergey’s body as found face down in a bloody cardboard box with his throat slit, in a trash pile under a remote microwave tower outside Sacramento about a half-mile from the nearest road, with several new toys inside suggesting he was lured into the box before killing.
• A note found in Soltys’ abandoned car indicated he had killed his relatives because they were "poisoning" his reputation.
• He later reportedly told authorities he had killed his wife because she had been disrespectful to him.
• Investigators said they had been unable to establish a clear motive for the killing spree other than the belief that he thought his wife and relatives were trying to poison him.

Additional charge:

• On September 6, 2001, Soltys was charged with the murder of his unborn child, bringing the total murder charges to seven.

Investigation

Items and notes recovered

• Police discovered Soltys' Nissan Altima with two family photographs inside and notes written in Russian on the back.
• One note had directions to the body of Sergey, his 3-year-old son.
• The second listed the slayings, suggesting the victims were killed "for speaking out."
• The box containing Sergey’s body had several new toys inside, suggesting the father lured the boy into the box with the toys before killing him.
• A Sheriff’s Detective stated that two sets of footprints went into the area where the body was found, and only one set led out.

Police concern and protection for relatives

• Police feared he might not be done killing family members.
• 14 relatives, including his mother and brother, were put under police protection in a motel in downtown Sacramento.

Family history relevant to the case

• Soltys had a history of domestic violence before immigrating to the United States.
• When Lyobov was pregnant with Sergey, she told her brother Petro Nakonechny that Nikolay would beat her head against the wall until she fainted, then he would revive her with water and would beat her again.
• One account from Ukraine said police and family members came to remove Lyobov from their home after a violent episode, and said Nikolay ran around furiously and threatened them with an axe.
• Those who knew them said Nikolay “never cared much for his son” and resented the baby for taking attention from his wife.
• The family described a volatile relationship; after immigrating to the United States three years earlier, Nikolay and his wife lived together in Sacramento about a year before the slayings.
• At the time of the slayings, Nikolay was unemployed and on welfare.
• In Ukraine, he was trained as a shoemaker, but he wanted to set up an automobile repair shop; he also considered careers as a paramedic and a chiropractor.
• His inability to learn English frustrated his employment prospects.
• Those who knew him said he searched for meaning in his life and had difficulties focusing on his future.

FBI “Ten Most Wanted Fugitive” actions

• Soltys was added to the FBI's Most Wanted list on August 23, 2001.
• Adding Soltys to the list meant more publicity and manpower would be allocated to his capture.
• Most-wanted posters were to be posted nationally and internationally.
• The reward fund for his arrest was raised to $70,000.
• He was described as “armed and extremely dangerous.”

Verbatim quotes in connection with FBI actions:

• Sacramento County Sheriff Lou Blanas said: "Most wanted" posters of Soltys will be posted nationally and internationally.
• Richard Baker, special agent in charge of the FBI's Sacramento office, said: "Most wanted" posters of Soltys will be posted nationally and internationally, said Richard Baker, special agent in charge of the FBI's Sacramento office.
• Richard R. Baker said: "The FBI is indebted to the media for keeping this case in the public eye, and to the Ukrainian community for helping to capture this dangerous fugitive," said SAC Baker.

Arrest

Soltys was captured after a 10-day nationwide manhunt.

• August 30, 2001: Soltys was captured at his mother's backyard in Sacramento where he was hiding under a desk.
• His arrest followed a sequence in which his panicked family fled the home in a car and his brother called 911 from a framing shop several blocks away.
• Jennifer Murphy, an employee of the frame shop, said: "kept pushing buttons 1-1-9, so I knew he wanted to dial 911. I brought him into the store and dialed 911 for him."
• Two plainclothes detectives were reportedly outside the house in an unmarked car.
• Once police determined the suspect was in the backyard, the neighborhood was cordoned off and Soltys was arrested without incident.
• Authorities believed Soltys had been staying in woods behind the house.
• A sleeping bag was found nearby.
• A backpack containing a knife described as "consistent with the murder weapon," Sacramento County Sheriff Lou Blanas said.
• At the time of his arrest Soltys had a metal potato peeler in his pocket and a map of the Sacramento area.
• He was barefoot, unshaven, dirty, and shabbily dressed, and appeared like he could have been hiding in a field somewhere, Blanas said.

FBI-related arrest description:

• A separate FBI announcement said the arrest occurred in Citrus Heights, California, a suburb of Sacramento.
• Soltys was located in the backyard of a family member's home and taken into custody without incident by Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputies and officers from the Sacramento Police Department.
• FBI Agents and Deputies from the U.S. Marshals were also on scene during the arrest.
• Soltys was being detained at the Sacramento County Jail.

Trial

Sentencing

Appeals

Outcome

Status at death

• February 13, 2002: Nikolay Soltys was found hanged to death in his Sacramento jail cell.
• His attorney Tommy Clinkenbeard said he was not convinced the man took his own life, and the sheriff ordered a more extensive investigation.

Details of the death investigation

• Sheriff Lou Blanas said Soltys used a rope braided out of cloth, possibly from his bed sheet or a cast he was wearing on his leg, and a plastic bag.
• Blanas said the rope was attached to a light fixture 5 feet off the ground.
• Blanas said the 6-foot Soltys apparently leaned against the rope until he lost consciousness.
• Clinkenbeard said: "This was not an instant death," and "He was essentially choking to death."
• Blanas said Soltys’ body was in a corner of the cell out of view of the surveillance camera, and the microphone picked up no unusual noises.
• No suicide note was immediately found.

Prior jail events and mental health statements

• February 14, 2002: three separate psychologists said Soltys wasn’t a suicide risk.
• The narrative included that he had a surveillance camera and hidden microphone monitoring his jail cell around the clock, and three guards checked on him hourly.
• The narrative also included that he was not under a suicide watch Wednesday.
• Sheriff Lou Blanas said: "I can't put 2,200 officers over there to hold the hand of every inmate," and added preliminary investigations indicated officers followed procedures.
• Jail officials said he last appeared in court three days before killing himself, in a wheelchair after jumping off a jail balcony in December.
• Jail officials said he was ordered back to his cell and then leaped from the second floor.
• Soltys was placed under a medical watch in October after he punctured his chest several times with a pencil.
• Clinkenbeard said he was merely imitating other inmates by giving himself a jailhouse tattoo.
• Clinkenbeard said he had been considering an insanity plea, saying he believed Soltys may have been mentally damaged at birth or as a child.

Next court appearance and visits

• Blanas said Soltys’ next court appearance had been scheduled for March 19.
• The narrative included that Soltys had been visited by investigators Tuesday and his attorney Friday.

Aftermath

Other details

Charge details referenced across the narrative

• Soltys was described as being charged with the stabbing deaths of his pregnant wife, 3-year-old son, two 9-year-old cousins, an aunt and an uncle during a violent spree in late August 2001.
• Authorities said Soltys killed his wife, aunt, uncle and cousins and then drove to his mother’s home, where he picked up his 3-year-old son, Sergei.
• A note in his abandoned car indicated his relatives were "poisoning" his reputation.
• Soltys was reportedly armed and extremely dangerous at the time he was sought.

Law enforcement and investigation personnel named

• Sacramento County Sheriff Lou Blanas
• Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully
• Sacramento County Sheriff’s Detective Ron Garverick
• Sacramento County Sheriff’s Sgt. James Lewis
• Sacramento Sheriff’s department spokeswoman Sharon Telles
• Attorney Tommy Clinkenbeard
• FBI Special Agent Richard R. Baker
• U.S. Marshal Jerry Enomoto
• FBI Special Agent Nick Rossi
• Sgt. James Lewis (phone contact referenced in FBI material)
• Jennifer Murphy

Places and communities mentioned

• Sacramento County, California
• North Highlands, California
• Roseville, California
• Citrus Heights, California (suburb of Sacramento)
• Downtown Sacramento
• Sacramento area (general)
• Shumsk, Ukraine
• Kiev, Ukraine (airport arrival point for coffins)
• Shumsk’s victims’ hometown (220 miles away, in western Ukraine)
• Ternopil region (western Ternopil region referenced)

Funeral and mourning details

• August 26, 2001: funerals of four of the six slain family members took place at the Bethany Slavic Missionary Church with more than 5,000 members of Sacramento’s Eastern European community.
• September 9, 2001: thousands of mourners in Shumsk, Ukraine attended the funeral of Lyubov and Sergei Soltys, with the two white coffins first arriving from Sacramento to the airport in Ukraine’s capital Kiev, then being taken to Shumsk for burial ceremony.