Man researched time travel to “correct mistake” of murdering his fiancée
Following the tragic death of Anna Repkina, her fiancé, William Hargrove, who was later convicted of her murder, researched time travel to “correct the mistake”, it has emerged.
Repkina, a Russian native, was found dead in 2017, and in 2019, a jury found Hargrove guilty of murder alongside one count of identity theft and two counts of theft. Now, details have reemerged in the heartbreaking case.
The murder is now the subject of the CBS documentary, The Murder of Anna Repkina, which contains a litany of unbelievable facts from the case, including Hargrove writing on WhatsApp: “Best friend made a mistake. I want to go back to keep from losing the woman that should be my wife.”
The pair met online in 2016, which led to Repkina visiting Hargrove in Oregon. Over the course of her whirlwind ten-day trip, they became engaged. However, Hargrove didn’t let Repkina know about his girlfriend, Michelle Chavez, which eventually unravelled tragically.
When Chavez discovered Repkina’s existence, she delivered an ultimatum to Hargrove, and a few days later, his Russian bride-to-be died following a single gunshot wound. At the scene of the crime, many pieces of rubbish, such as fast food bags and cigarette packets, were discovered, including a KFC receipt that would tie Hargrove to the crime.
Detective Chris Dale said of the investigation: “He is researching time travel. He’s saved screenshots of web pages that show you how to do a particular spell to travel back in time. And we also see communication through WhatsApp in which he is trying to ask for help in how to travel back in time.”
According to CBS News, Hargrove was desperate to correct a mistake that was made by his “best friend”, and eyed up time travel as the solution to his problems. Reportedly, he was even prepared to sell his soul to strangers that he’d met online in exchange for information on the subject.
Additionally, surveillance cameras caught Hargrove taking money out of ATMs using Repkina’s bank account. In total, Hargrove was able to secure $800, which he wasted on sweet treats, cigars, and Star Wars LEGO from Walmart, in addition to car insurance.
Following the KFC receipt discovery, as well as his strange online research, he was charged with murder in 2018. However, despite Hargrove being convicted of murder in 2019, this decision was overturned in 2023 due to questions over the search warrant, but in 2025, he was reconvicted to life in prison with a possibility of parole after 25 years.