In a case that ranks amongst the most depraved in criminal history, a Russian cannibal killer who roasted and ate his girlfriend's brain before drinking her blood has been sentenced to 19 years in a penal colony.
A Celebration Turned to Carnage
The horrific crime occurred on International Women's Day in 2018. Dmitry Luchin, then just 23 years old, visited the home of his 45-year-old partner, Olga Budunova, under the pretence of a celebration. After sharing a drink, Luchin's sinister intentions became horrifically clear.
He smashed a wine bottle repeatedly over Budunova's head, killing her. He then proceeded to methodically dismember her body with a meat cleaver. The brutality of the act was only the beginning of a sequence of events that would leave even the most experienced investigators in shock.
Unspeakable Acts and Satanic Symbolism
What followed the murder plunged the case into a realm of almost unimaginable horror. Luchin, described as an occultist and satanic worshipper, calmly cut pieces of Budunova's brain and roasted them, later telling police he tried it twice because he "liked the taste".
He drained a glass of her blood from her corpse to wash down the meal. In a further act of desecration, he tore out her stomach, hacked off her ears, and placed one in her mouth and the other in the household cat's bowl. He used her blood and purple nail polish to scrawl insults across her body.
Prosecutors stated Luchin used the victim's blood to paint devilish symbols on a door in a twisted attempt to summon Lucifer. The crime scene was so monstrous that neighbours described it as being "like something from another world".
Trial and a 19-Year Sentence
During his trial, Luchin's disturbing mindset was on full display. From inside a metal cage, he began reciting a bizarre poem in which he insisted he was "no maniac, murderer or cannibal", but rather a "student, sportsman and poet".
Judge Alexey Stanovsky cut him off when he launched into a rant about the notorious Soviet serial killer Andrei Chikatilo. The court heard that Luchin had become obsessed with serial killers, spending hours on websites dedicated to them.
Despite his claims, he was found mentally fit to stand trial. Dmitry Luchin was convicted of murder with 'special cruelty' and sentenced to serve 19 years in a harsh-regime penal colony, a sentence that finally brought a measure of justice for the devastated friends and neighbours of Olga Budunova.
