Michael Hristov allegedly had a “fascination with serial killers” and “idolized mass shooters,” according to the Louisville Metro Police Department
Credit: Louisville Metro Police Department/YouTube
NEED TO KNOW
- Michael Hristov was killed in a police standoff after being indicted for murder
- Authorities linked Hristov to the fatal stabbing and dismembering of Michael Howard on Dec. 24, 2025
- During the investigation, authorities discovered Hristov had a “fascination with serial killers,” and wanted “to hunt homeless people”
A Kentucky homicide suspect was killed in an officer-involved shooting five months after allegedly dismembering an unhoused man.
Michael Hristov, 21, was indicted for murder, abuse of a corpse and assault in connection with the murder of Michael Howard, Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) Deputy Chief Emily McKinney said in a press conference on Wednesday, May 27.
A Dec. 21, 2025, Reddit post alleged there was a serial killer in Louisville killing unhoused people and writing satanic symbols near the victims' bodies, police said. On Christmas Day, an unhoused man survived a nonfatal stabbing.
On Dec. 26, police discovered Howard's body in a homeless encampment in Louisville, Ky. Howard was nude with satanic symbols carved into his body. He had been dismembered with his genitals and eight of his toes cut off, with seven near his body. It was determined he was killed on Dec. 24.
The LMPD then obtained footage of the nonfatal stabbing, identifying Hristov as a suspect. Authorities discovered that he had a history of trouble with law enforcement at the local and federal levels. He allegedly would torture animals, had a “fascination with serial killers,” “idolized mass shooters” and made statements about wanting “to hunt homeless people,” McKinney said.
Authorities then obtained warrants for his home, scooter and technology. They recovered his scooter on March 7, and collected his backpack from his home. The backpack had blood on it, which was later confirmed to match Howard's DNA.
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LMPD investigators also discovered that the IP address associated with the Reddit post was the same as Hristov's and that he allegedly made the Dec. 21 post about himself. An iCloud account also showed an image of a severed toe.
Hristov was indicted on May 13 for murder, abuse of a corpse and assault. LMPD and SWAT teams went to Hristov's home to execute the warrant the next day.
When they arrived, Hristov began shooting at officers from inside his home. He then called 911 dispatchers, saying he was armed and wanted the officers to shoot and kill him.
For around 20 minutes, the SWAT team tried to peacefully resolve the standoff until he exited the home wearing a helmet and a ballistic vest.
He was asked to drop his weapon. However, he didn't comply and was shot once by Officer Beau Gadegaard, LMPD said. The LMPD will continue to investigate to see if Hristov was linked to other attacks on homeless people.
PEOPLE reached out to the Louisville Metro Police Department for comment.
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