Killer demands Pussy Riot freed

Moscow - Russian officials are saying that the bodies of a 76-year old woman and her 38-year old daughter were found dead in their Kazan apartment near a wall with the words "Free Pussy Riot" believed to be written in blood.

Investigators believe the killer used the blood of the victims to write the message, The Moscow Times reports. The message was written in English. One investigator has told The Associated Press said the killer might be trying to mislead police by drawing attention to the all-girl punk rock protestors. The killer "was trying to avoid suspicion by misleading police," investigator Andrey Sheptitsky warned. Three members of the band were sentenced to two years in prison August 17 for performing an anti-Putin "punk prayer" inside a Russian Orthodox cathedral back in February. Some Russian Orthodox officials are blaming the deaths on Pussy Riot. One in particular said supporters of Pussy Riot now had "blood on their conscience," Reuters reports. Some Russian newspapers ran headlines saying that Pussy Riot supporters "committed" or "inspired" the double homicide, The Associated Press reports. Niikolai Polozov, a lawyer for the Pussy Riot band members sentenced earlier this month, said nobody in the band or associated with it was involved in the murders, Reuters reports. Pozlov suggested the words "Free Pussy Riot" may have been a "dirty provocation" to discredit the band. "I am sorry that some freaks are using Pussy Riots band name," he said in defense of his clients and their supporters. Investigators believe the women, who were found with multiple stabbed wounds, died sometime between August 24 and 26, The Moscow Times reports. The killer could have been a Pussy Riot supporter, but according to investigator Andrey Sheptitsky, it looks like the women were murdered in a robbery. Sheptitsky said the apartment was a "total mess." Sheptitsky's theory is just that, however. No motive for the killings has been confirmed, and according to BBC News, investigators have found no immediate link between the murders and the band. Earlier this week, two members of Pussy Riot fled Russia to "protect themselves," CNN reports. It is unclear if these two women were involved in February's protests, but with all the hatred and backlash against the band, they just wanted to go somewhere where they could feel safe.