On the evening of November 12, 2023, a 32-year-old postdoctoral researcher at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, lost his life during a robbery in the city’s downtown area.

Dr. Alexander Bulakhov, along with his wife, Anastasia, and their two-year-old daughter, encountered an armed assailant, identified as Marious Ward, aged 23. Ward, who was masked and demanded their valuables, engaged in a physical altercation with Dr. Bulakhov after threatening his wife Anastasia, leading to the fatal shooting when the gun went off. Dr. Bulakhov was taken to Regional One Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Following the incident, Memphis Police Department detectives launched a homicide inquiry. This led to the apprehension of Ward and Brandy Rucker, aged 22, who was implicated as an accomplice and was the getaway driver. They were arrested in a white Toyota Camry, which matched eyewitness descriptions of the getaway vehicle.

Dr. Bulakhov, a native of Russia, had moved to the United States in 2018 for postdoctoral research, after obtaining a doctorate in biotechnology and biochemistry. He had previously resided in Brooklyn, New York, for four years, doing research at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, and the family had very recently moved to Memphis in July.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has expressed its commitment to aiding his family during this time, with over $41,000 raised through a GoFundMe campaign to support his wife and daughter. Dr. Bulakhov was the sole support of the family.