Bodies of two missing Medford men, one dismembered, found in bins in a Brighton self-storage unit; suspect arrested

The Middlesex County District Attorney's office reports a Medford man was arrested on murder charges after police found the bodies of two missing men in a storage unit on North Beacon Street in Brighton.

The victims were identified as Kiryl Schukin, 37, and Pavel Vekshin, 28, both of Medford. Leonid Volkov (seen right), 37, also of Medford, was charged with stabbing both to death:

Just before midnight on April 14, investigators executed a search warrant on a Brighton storage unit that had been rented by the defendant using one of the victims’ names. Upon entry into the unit they were able to locate the bodies of both men inside rubber storage bins. The body of a man, tentatively identified as Kiryl Schukin, had been dismembered. Bleach, rubber gloves and items belonging to the deceased were also located. ...

Investigators learned that Mr. Schukin had been a guarantor on the lease for the apartment of Leonid Volkov in Medford. However, Mr. Schukin had recently declined to be the guarantor on the lease extension resulting in Mr. Volkov’s eviction. Through investigation, it is believed that Mr. Volkov and Mr. Schukin met in a rented U-Haul truck, which Mr. Volkov was driving, on March 29, 2023. Investigators also learned that a person believed to be Leonid Volkov was seen on video entering and leaving the victims’ building in the days following the last time Pavel Vekshin and Kiryl Schukin were seen. Police subsequently located that U-Haul at the storage facility where the bodies were found. Investigators believe the defendant was using it to transport items from the victims’ Locust Street apartment to the storage facility.

Volkov was arrested last night in North Attleboro, the DA's office reports.

The bodies were found at the iStorage facility.

Schukin and Vekshin, who lived in an apartment on Locust Street, had last been reported seen on April 9.

Schukin's LinkedIn page listed him as a cybersecurity expert at EPAM Systems, a software-engineering firm.

Vekshin, a native of St. Petersburg, Russia, was a photographer, specializing in interior and architectural images, and who moved to the Boston area in 2021. After posting a photo of Rowes Wharf he took from Fan Pier, he wrote "how lucky I am to be here in my beloved city B." He also maintained a Telegram channel to post photos of his new hometown for his friends in Russia.

Innocent, etc.