PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia man will spend four to eight decades in prison after being found guilty on kidnapping and attempted murder charges, after what the judge called "cold and calculated" crimes.
A Bucks County judge sentenced Pavel Belous to 40 to 80 years in state prison. He previously pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted homicide and one count each of kidnapping, robbery, simple assault, terroristic threats, theft by unlawful taking and possession of an instrument of crime.
On March 11, 2021, Bucks County officials say Belous, 38, followed an 18-year-old man from a Philadelphia convenience store. Investigators say that while masked, he confronted the victim with a knife at his throat in the parking lot of a McDonald’s in Upper Southampton.
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Officials say the victim offered $18, but Belous demanded more and forced him to drive to an ATM, where the man took out $450 in cash.
Belous then demanded to be driven to the victim’s home, where Belous threatened to kill him and his mother, and to burn the house down.
The victim was able to pull out a knife of his own and stabbed Belous in the back. That injury ended up paralyzing Belous, officials say. The victim ran inside the house and called 911. Police discovered Belous and arrested him.
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Belous was sentenced to four consecutive sentences, ranging from 10 to 20 years.
During the investigation, authorities learned Belous was also charged for killing a man in Philadelphia less than a week before the Bucks County incident. Officials say that case is still open.