PHILADELPHIA — A Bucks County man has been sentenced to up to 80 years in prison for his "cold and calculated" crimes, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.
Pavel Belous, 38, pled guilty on March 25 to two counts of attempted homicide and one count each of kidnapping, robbery, simple assault, terroristic threats, unlawful taking and possession of an instrument of crime.
Belous was sentenced to 40 to 80 years in state prison for kidnapping a young man in Upper Southhampton Township, Bucks County, then forcing him at knifepoint to drive to an ATM to withdraw money while threatening to kill the victim and his mother.
The victim was able to escape by stabbing Belous in the back, leaving him paralyzed.
According to the attorney's office, the victim was 18 years old when Belous stalked him for about an hour on the night of March 11, 2021.
After a chance encounter at a Philadelphia convenience store on March 11, 2021, Belous followed the victim to three locations. According to the court, he drove with his lights off to avoid detection.
Belous then confronted the victim at knifepoint in a McDonald's parking lot in Upper Southhampton.
The victim was reportedly sitting in his car at 10:30 p.m. that night, eating, when a masked Belous got into the passenger's side seat, put a knife to his throat and demanded money.
The victim gave Belous $18, but he forced the victim to drive to an ATM where the victim withdrew $450.
During the ordeal, Belous removed his face covering and threatened to kill the victim because he saw his face.
He then ordered the victim to drive to his home to retrieve more money.
As he drove home, the victim secretly called 911 but hung up before the call was answered. He then called his mother and told her that he was bringing a friend over.
When they got to his house, Belous threatened to kill him, his mother and burn their house down. He also threatened that he had killed people before.
The victim and Belous got out of the car, but the victim was able to retrieve a folding knife from his car and stabbed Belous in the back.
The victim then ran inside his house and called 911. Police found Belous hiding in the victim's car and arrested him.
During an investigation, officers learned that Belous was charged with killing a man in Philadelphia. That killing, according to Philadelphia Homicide Detectives, happened less than a week before the Upper Southhampton robbery and kidnapping.
According to police, the victim of the Philadelphia killing has his throat cut and his home set on fire, the same acts of violence Belous threatened in Bucks County. The case remains open in Philadelphia.
The victim told President Judge Wallace H. Bateman Jr. that he still had vivid nightmares from that night that left him frightened to go outside or out with friends.
Even scarier, the victim said, are the thoughts of what would have happened if he didn't react by stabbing the defendant.
"I don't see this going away for a while," he said, through tears.
Deputy District Attorney Thomas C. Gannon said Belous’s actions were unlike other attempted murders. “This was a premeditated attack, a hunt,” he said.
“This defendant committed a level of violence against his victim that we’re only familiar with in horror movies,” District Attorney Matt Weintraub said. “Were it not for his victim’s courage and quick thinking, I firmly believe that this defendant would have continued his killing rampage.”
On top of the 40 to 80 years in jail, Belous has been ordered to pay $2,100 in restitution.
