A 43-year-old Warsaw plumber named Michal P. has been arrested and charged in connection with the murder of six elderly women and the fatal robbery of a seventh victim, Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza reported.
Police captured the suspect on a balcony in the Kabaty district of Warsaw on February 23, 2025, after a bank operator overheard an ongoing assault during an open telephone call.
Detectives in the Polish capital are now examining dozens of previously unexplained deaths among elderly residents, suspecting the spree could mark one of the largest serial killer investigations in modern European history.
Arrest in Kabaty neighborhood
The arrest followed a dramatic emergency response in Kabaty, a residential neighborhood in the southern Ursynow district of Warsaw. On the night of February 23, 2025, an elderly resident placed a phone call to her bank to change her credit card personal identification number.
During the call, the bank customer service employee heard disturbing noises indicating a violent crime was in progress. A police officer involved in the investigation stated that the recording captured a crime as an elderly woman was being strangled.
Michal P. realized too late that the victim had left her telephone line connected during the assault. Attempting to flee the apartment building, he retreated to a lower balcony directly beneath the victim's apartment, where police located and arrested him.
Background of the suspect
Prior to his arrest, Michal P. lived alone and supported himself as a plumber in Warsaw. Relatives and acquaintances previously knew him as an ordinary family man, husband, and father.
According to investigators, the suspect suffered from a pathological gambling addiction and regularly used illegal drugs. At the time of his arrest, officers noted that he was under the influence of both alcohol and illicit substances.
A forensic search of the suspect's mobile phone uncovered a digital collection of 75,000 photographs. Many of the images depicted items stolen from the homes of his victims.
An investigator working on the case explained that the large number of photographs showed that the criminal activity of Michal P. spanned a longer period than police had initially believed.
Method of operation
Michal P. allegedly used his profession as a plumber to gain the trust of his victims. Most of the people he targeted were elderly women living alone in Warsaw apartment buildings.
An officer involved in the case stated that the suspect established good relationships with clients and inspired confidence. Some victims even invited him inside for coffee or lent him money, unaware that he intended to return later to rob and kill them.
The perpetrator typically carried a specialized backpack for his work, equipped with gloves, adhesive tape, and other tools. He routinely threatened his victims to force them to reveal where their valuable items were hidden.
Once he obtained their valuables, he suffocated the victims using pillows, plastic garbage bags, or other household items. When leaving the crime scenes, he systematically locked the apartment doors to avoid raising immediate suspicion.
As the series of violent crimes continued, Michal P. became increasingly careless. A criminal profiler who worked on the case stated that the suspect developed disinhibition, leading to a loss of self-control and a flawed assessment of risk.
During one of his final crimes, the suspect made no attempt to conceal his tracks, instead spraying the crime scene with a household cleaning product.
Ukrainian accomplices and expanding investigation
The police investigation revealed that Michal P. did not always act alone. Authorities established that two Ukrainian nationals were also allegedly involved in several of the robberies.
Polish police arrested 33-year-old Taras H. shortly after the arrest of Michal P. in February 2025. Taras H. admitted to the charges, stating under questioning that he intended only to rob the victims rather than kill them.
Authorities located and arrested a second alleged accomplice, identified as Ihor H., in November 2025. In contrast to Taras H., Ihor H. denied any involvement in the crimes.
Investigators suspect Ihor H. was involved in two specific attacks. In December 2024, Michal P. allegedly killed two sisters living together in an apartment on Grzybowska Street. In January 2025, another woman was killed in her apartment on Jan Pawla II Avenue.
Forensic evidence and potential victim list
Forensic evidence linking the suspects to the crime scenes includes biological traces, fingerprints, and footwear marks found inside the apartments of the victims.
Investigators also established that the perpetrator gained entry to victim homes by claiming to work for building management or stating that he needed to perform maintenance repairs.
Police have not yet identified the owners of several stolen items photographed on the suspect's mobile phone. An officer from the specialized homicide task force stated that the case could involve the largest victim list for a serial killer in Poland and potentially in Europe.
Ongoing legal proceedings
Police and prosecutors are continuing to analyze dozens of suspicious deaths involving elderly citizens across Warsaw. Many of these deaths were previously recorded as having occurred from natural causes.
An officer participating in the investigation explained that police are carrying out a series of procedural and operational actions, alongside extensive analytical work to review past cases.
Investigating authorities estimate that it will take several months before a complete indictment can be prepared. Michal P. remains in pre-trial detention as details of the case continue to shock the public.
