After Killing Ex-GF In Ft. Lauderdale, Sarasota Shooting Suspect Targeted Her Family

SARASOTA, FL — After killing his ex-girlfriend and her son in South Florida on Tuesday, Russell Kot drove across the state to fatally shoot her mother, stepfather, brother and their housekeeper at their Sarasota home before turning the gun on himself, authorities said.

In the fall of last year, the 51-year-old moved from Illinois to Fort Lauderdale, where he was living with Larissa Blyudoy until they broke up at the end of the year, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Kot killed the 46-year-old woman and her son, 18-year-old Ben Azizov, at a home in the 500 block of Northeast 15th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale’s Victoria Park neighborhood on Tuesday, NBC 6 reported.

Then, he drove to Sarasota, where he shot and killed Blyudoy’s mother, 61-year-old Florita Stolyar; stepfather, 61-year-old Anatoly Ioffe; brother, 39-year-old Yaroslav Blyudoy; and their housekeeper, 49-year-old Olga Greinert at their Fallcrest Circle home in the gated Amberlea community.

Kot’s cell phone records don’t indicate “any apparent triggering event” before the shootings, deputies said.

Records show that he had previously either stayed at their Sarasota home or cared for the family’s animals in the months leading up to the shooting.

Investigators also confirmed that he met Greinert at least once at the home.

After a search warrant was executed on Kot’s vehicle, detectives found two handguns, ammunition, five knives, rope, tape and an axe. These are in addition to the two handguns that he brought into the home, the sheriff’s office said.

After killing Greinert and Blyudoy, Kot sent a suicidal text message to members of his own family, investigators determined.

He stayed at the home until Stolyar and Ioffe returned. As they arrived, Kot shot and killed them both. Then, he shot himself, deputies said.

More than 20 shell casings were recovered from the home. Each victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

Detectives are working to establish a motive for the shootings. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Criminal Investigations Section at 941-861-4900.

See Also:

• Driver Injured In I-75 Crash With Tractor-Trailer That Made An Illegal U-Turn: FL Troopers
• Suspect, Victims In Deadly Mass Shooting At Sarasota Home Identified: Sheriff
• NFL Player Charged In Domestic With WNBA Athlete After Fleeing Police Near Miami
• FL Motorcyclist Led Troopers On U.S. 301 Chase, Ran Into Woods
• Motorcyclist Hit Speeds Of 150 MPH In 2-County Chase: FL Troopers