Former Wheaton Wrestling Star Pleads Guilty To Murdering Pregnant Wife

Yevgeniy Savenok plead guilty to two counts of second-degree murder, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. The 31-year-old from Wheaton was scheduled to go on trial next week for the murder of his wife, Lyubov, which also resulted in the death of their unborn child.

According to the Wheaton Athletics website, Yeveniy or "Eugene" Savenok graduated from Wheaton-Warrenville South and was named an All-American Wrestling Scholar at Wheaton College.

Savenok had a "turbulent domestic history," according to court documents. His wife had reported several incidents of domestic abuse in Illinois and at their new home in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Lyubov had a restraining order against her husband.

Map Showing Eden Prairie, Minnesota, powered by Google.

Savenok later told police that his 23-year-old wife was going to take his children from him and he thought that killing her was “probably like my only way out.”

On May 14, 2016, Savenok went to his wife's home and stabbed her at least 11 times with a kitchen knife, injuring her jugular vein, left lung and a major artery near her heart. The couple's two children and Lyubov's teenage sister were in the home at the time.

Savenok fled the scene with his two young children.

Lyubov, who was 26 weeks pregnant, died of her injuries. Her unborn son died minutes after an emergency cesarean section.

Savenok later went to a hospital in St. Paul with his two young children. He told security guards that he had just killed his wife, and police took Savenok into custody. Savenok agreed to a 65-year prison sentence.

An online fundraiser for funeral expenses and Savenok's children has raised nearly $83,000.

Video by FOX 9 News | KMSP-TV Minneapolis-St. Paul via YouTube

Photo of Yevgeniy Savenok provided by Hennepin County Sheriff