Lithuanian killer of pedophiles flees country despite public support

Drasius Kedys, who killed a woman and a high profile judge in Lithuania because he thought they molested his four year old daughter, is believed to have fled the country, according to Regnum news agency.

Lithuanian investigators say he obtained a Russian visa before the murders, and may be hiding in the neighboring country.

Despite being a double murder suspect, Drasius Kedys has become a national hero.

On October 5, Jonas Furmanavicus, a senior judge in Lithuania's second city of Kaunas got out of his car at what seemed to be the scene of a traffic accident near his home. It was a trap – he was immediately gunned down.

Two hours later, Violette Narusevecieni, Drasius Kedys' sister-in-law was shot with a Berretta registered in his name.

There is only one suspect – Drasius Kedys.

Some people are calling him a hero, others just a vicious vigilante.

Kedys posted a video on the internet where his four-year-old daughter describes how she was allegedly forced to perform a sex act on Judge Furmanavicus and two of his associates. He sent the footage to every high-ranking official and media outlet in Lithuania.

Kedys claimed the girl's mother, separated from him, and his sister-in-law were regularly soliciting his daughter to a gang of pedophiles holding top rank jobs.

Despite Kedys spending a year trying to bring the case to court, no charges were filed.

“The authorities should have done something to avoid driving a man to this mental state,” says one man.

One woman added: “The murder was the only thing he could have done to protect his girl.”

Websites have sprung up, accusing the authorities of incompetence and cover-ups and anti-pedophile rallies have been held throughout the country.

Vladas Gaidys, sociologist, says: “The outsider hero doling out his own justice is a staple of many action films, and that's what appealed to ordinary, blue-collar Lithuanians. He is like Rambo.”

Drasius Kedys, however, is a complex character. His mental health has been questioned by psychologists.

Court officials suspected that he may have used the pedophile accusations in an attempt to gain custody of his daughter.

Kedys has also been linked with Kaunas – powerful mafia clans who police say may have used him as a pawn – stoking his paranoia to get him to remove an unfavorable judge.

“Kedys sets a very bad example for our society. Of course, there is a degree of distrust towards official institutions, but they are the ones in charge of justice, and we must educate society to trust them more,” said Stasys Sedbaras, chairman of Seimas Committee on Legal Affairs.

The manhunt for Drasius Kedys continues.