The 23-year-old vagrant, one Sergei B, and the teenager, 17-year-old Denis A, were arrested after a passerby discovered the body early on Wednesday in south Moscow's sprawling Bitsa Park. Both have previous convictions - Denis for murder, Sergei for robbery.
Police found the victim's passport on his person as well as money and documents for a Mitsubishi Pajero sports utility vehicle. An alert was subsequently put out for the vehicle and the two were detained.
Bitsa Park was where Russia's so-called "chessboard killer" Alexander Pichushkin killed most of his 48 victims between 2001 and 2006. Typically, Pichushkin lured his victims into woods and plied them with vodka before battering them to death.
Police say that Bitsa Park traditionally sees an increase in attacks as the winter snows melt. A 44-year-old woman was cut slightly with a knife by a mugger who stole her cell phone and golden earrings in the park on Monday.
"The mugger hid in the woods after the attack. A search for him is underway," police told RIA Novosti.
