Andrei Chikatilo, known as the Butcher of Rostov, committed a series of brutal killings, including the savage murder of an 11-year-old boy whose father fainted upon identifying the body.
Horrific murder of Aleksandr Chepel
Chikatilo's most horrific crime was the murder of schoolboy Aleksandr Chepel, killed almost exactly 42 years ago. During a murderous rampage across the former USSR in the summer of 1984, Aleksandr's remains were found on August 18, 1984, presenting an utterly horrifying scene. The child was discovered unclothed beside the Don River, having been strangled and castrated, with his eyes removed.
Reports stated that Aleksandr's body, known as Sasha to loved ones, was in such a disturbing condition that his father instantly collapsed upon viewing the corpse. Just prior to Aleksandr's murder, Chikatilo had killed 17-year-old Lyuda Alexseyeva, deliberately causing non-fatal stab wounds throughout her body to extend her suffering before ending her life.
Arrest and release
Chikatilo was initially detained soon after these killings when two plainclothes officers spotted him attempting to approach women at a bus station in Rostov. Following his detention, it emerged he was being investigated for petty theft at one of his previous workplaces. He was ultimately convicted of theft and given a one-year prison sentence, serving merely three months before his release.
Blood and semen analysis at the time incorrectly identified his blood type, eliminating him from the investigation into the serial murderer. Chikatilo, who was also a cannibal, routinely biting off and devouring soft tissue, continued to kill dozens more before his eventual capture in November 1990.
Confession and trial
He initially refused any involvement in the killings, but his defiance crumbled when he was questioned by a psychiatrist, Dr. Alexandr Bukhanovsky. This marked the first occasion a psychiatrist had been brought in for a serial killer investigation in the Soviet Union. The specialist read excerpts from his 65-page psychological assessment, and the killer broke down in tears and admitted his guilt. During his questioning, he stated: "I was a mistake of nature, a mad beast. When I used my knife, it brought relief... I knew I was sick, but I couldn't stop."
Chikatilo faced trial in April 1992 in Rostov, where he was confined in an iron cage to shield him from furious and distraught relatives. He was found guilty of 52 of the 53 murder charges. The judge imposed a death sentence before condemning failures by the police and the prosecutor's office that permitted him to prowl the streets until 1990.
Execution
Chikatilo's appeal to the Supreme Court was dismissed, followed by a plea for mercy to President Boris Yeltsin, which was also rejected. He was subsequently executed by firing squad on 14 February 1994, in Novocherkassk prison and laid to rest in an anonymous grave within the prison cemetery. Chikatilo's final words were peculiar, to put it mildly. Echoing his self-perception as "a mistake of nature," he uttered: "Don't blow my brains out, the Japanese want to buy them."
