A designer and model says she feels “lucky” to be alive after turning down a creepy marriage proposal from Jared Ravizza, who is now accused of randomly stabbing six people to death in Massachusetts last weekend.
Alena Shikhova (30) was at a photo shoot for her clothing brand, Asik, at the Beverly Hills Hotel on April 14 when she encountered Jared Ravizza (26), the man suspected of murdering a 70-year-old man in Connecticut.
Shikhova told The Post on Tuesday that Ravizza snuck into one of her photo shoots and quickly proposed marriage to her and suggested they have children together.
“He said, ‘I’ll be a good husband, and you’ll be my wife,'” Shikhova recalled. “I think he liked me, and he was used to getting what he wanted.”
“I never could have imagined in that moment what he was capable of,” she added. “I’m still in shock reading what he did. I’m happy to be alive. There are a lot of crazy people out there so you have to be really careful. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Four of the children Ravizza stabbed were between the ages of 9 and 17, and had been at a local cinema to watch a movie.
Ms. Shikhova, a talented designer and graduate of Russia’s Ural Federal University, said Mr. Ravizza showed up at her shoot last month and promised to help promote her brand, using his vast online audience and connections to New York’s Hamptons and other glamorous locations.
Though Shihua was wary of the man, she accepted his advances and allowed him to model her clothes. In one of her Instagram videos, the two appeared in matching pink hoodies, with the caption “Never Be Basic.”
Ravizza, who has distinctive long blonde hair, invited her to the hotel pool, but then the casual encounter turned uneasy and sinister.
“We had just met and he had already proposed to me and promised me so much straight away,” Shikhova said. “It was just weird.”
Ravizza allegedly began bragging about his wealth, showing off photos of him and his father vacationing in Hawaii, and showing off the various homes he claims to own around the world.
“He said he had some houses here and there, in Malibu and the Hamptons,” she added, adding that Ravizza had allegedly offered to help her open stores for her clothing brand in those cities.
Shikhova said she eventually became uncomfortable with Ravizza’s advances and left the hotel, only exchanging a few text messages with him to agree on which photos and videos to post to promote the brand.
She said she never spoke to Ravizza again and only found out about his allegedly outrageous attack after seeing his picture on the news and speaking with a reporter.
“At that time he was dressing like a man, he didn’t have make-up or nail polish,” Sikhova said, referring to photos Ravizza recently posted to Instagram in which he appears more feminine and has changed his name.
“It’s moments like these that make me feel truly amazing to be alive,” Shihua wrote on Instagram.
Ravizza, a Chilmark resident, was arraigned in Plymouth District Court Tuesday morning on one count of assault with intent to murder, two counts of assault and battery and indecent assault in connection with the McDonald’s stabbing.
The judge ordered the defendant to be detained for a mental assessment. He will also face charges in Norfolk for stabbing four girls in Braintree.
Connecticut State Police also identified Ravizza as a suspect in the death of Bruce Feldman, 70, whose body was found inside the home they rented together in Deep River hours before the stabbings.
