He could talk about these things, and did, but these were simply words in the service of killing; they were bits of theater; they were nothing. The Maniac, after all, is a clerk at the grocery store where they both work. The public envisioned a monster, an animal of a man, potentially more than one man, hiding around every corner, living in shadows, preying on the weak. They were narrowing their search, talking to everyone, compiling sketches of suspects. A man who once boasted he wanted to kill one victim for each of the 64 squares on a chessboard was found guilty of 48 murders Wednesday, a bloody spree that terrorized the Russian capital.. Forty minutes later, they reemerge and declare that the sentence stands. A babushka wails, Where is my body? Shes talking about her husband, who disappeared one night down a snowy path in the woods. When it became clear that Odiychuk wasn't as committed to the act, Pichushkin killed him instead of a random victim. By then the count was approaching thirty. He was housed in a glass cage during his trial for his own protection. Russian police have shown for the first time how they lured notorious 'Chessboard Killer' mass murderer Alexander Pichushkin into publicly confessing to 61 murders He saw the cameras and. In the end, the Maniac was what his mother and Suprunenko say he was: ordinary. He set a goal of killing at least 64 people, which corresponded to the squares on a chessboard, in order to eventually surpass his idol, Andrei Chikatilo. Pichushkin didnt continue killing until 2001, when he reportedly made a list of acquaintances he intended to murder: "The closer the person is to you, the more pleasant it is to kill them. He says somethinglater he will try to remember exactly what it was he saidand then he smirks. Is love for real, or is it a ruse, a make-believe ambrosia? She never met the bride-to-be. His childhood was a difficult and troubled one. In an effort to both dull the pain of the loss as well as to calm his severe aggressive tendencies, he began to consume large quantities of vodka. He kept saying to himself that he shouldnt kill her because theyd know it was him. She accepted. He just walked or, more likely, stumbled. The Maniac eyed 32 for at least an hour before he made his move. Alexander Pichushkin, best known for being a Criminal, was born in Russia on Tuesday, April 9, 1974. Shortly after the trial, Pichushkin was sentenced to life in prison. Could it be a psychiatric patient whod escaped from the institution in the park? Pensioners. Prior to this transfer, children from the mainstream school were known to have physically and verbally bullied Pichushkin, referring to him as "that retard". He wanted to kill, but he also wanted everyone to know he was the killer. The judges disappear into their chambers. The death of his beloved grandfather affected him deeply and he became aggressive and violent towards others soon after. After a long time, she looks up and turns her gaze to the television set. The maniac preferred men. In 2007, Moscow police found a chessboard. By the spring of 2006, almost 50 people had vanished into them, never to be seen again. The boy managed to crawl out. He is disappearing. There was a doctor walking his dog, she says, and he saw one of these wild dogs with a bone in his mouth. Then he waited nine years. She cupped it while he lit the match, then laughed at something he said. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/alexander-pichushkin-14669.php. Neuroscientists maintain a connection between damage to the frontal lobe of the brain and neuropsychiatric abnormalities, such as aggressive behavior and psychopathy. Later it was found that this injury had damaged a significant part of his brain which led to tendencies of aggression. He eventually left the bodies in the open to be discovered, and also left broken vodka bottles sticking out of the skulls of some of his victims. Between May 2001 and September 2005, Pichushkin attacked thirty-six victims; three of his victims survived their injuries. Did something happen when he was little? They were an improvement. I thought it would not be fair to forget about the other 11 people, he reasoned. He was also found guilty on three counts of attempted murder. In less than a minute, the apartment was flooded with armed riot police: boots, automatic rifles, handcuffs. (During the trial hell have this to say about intimacy: The closer a person is to you and the better you know them, the more pleasurable it is to kill them.) They can hear trails of moving laughter somewhere far away, other people carousing, but here, in this particular swath of woods, there are only trees and shadows. Natasha grew up on Khersonskaya Street, and so did her son. He received life in prison without parole. After Pichushkin was escorted from the buildinghe did not resistthey gave her some documents stating exactly what he was being accused of. According to GQ, some were still alive when they were thrown into the dump. Following his arrest the police discovered a chessboard with dates on all but two of the squares, apparently connected to the murders he committed. Pichushkin waited until his intended victim was intoxicated and then he hit him or her repeatedly with a blunt instrument a hammer or a piece of pipe. He also later attested to killing Olga as well, although authorities have not confirmed this claim. Does she know why her son became a serial killer? Alexander Pichushkin killed dozens of people in Russia between 1992 and 2006, . I told him I admired him, and he liked that, and then he opened up. He wanted to talk, Suprunenko says. Now theyre walking over branches, wrappers, cigarette butts; past bottles, a stuffed animal, a used condom. Before she left, she wrote a note to her son letting him know she was with Pichushkin[10] and left his phone number. Astrological Sign: Aries, Article Title: Alexander Pichushkin Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/alexander-pichushkin, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: August 4, 2020, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014, This first murder, it's like first love, it's unforgettable. A majority of Pichushkins victims were elderly homeless people, whom he found in Bitsevsky Park in Moscow, and lured in with the promise of free vodka, as reported by GQ. Even Chessboard Killer is misleading, Suprunenko believes, because it suggests Pichushkin would have stopped killing when he reached sixty-four, the number of squares on a chessboard, as if his mission was to fill up a chessboard of death, as if he thought of murder as a game. On pyanitsa. (He found a job in Khimky.) He is talking to someone we cant see. There were men disappearing almost every week back then, and she and Katya pleaded with him not to go. He told Odichuk he wanted to kill someone. After that she had a hard time saying anything. [14] He was filmed reenacting his crimes in great detail, a process which is a regular part of Russian criminal investigation. He was now the Maniac. But once the pair entered the forest, Pichushkin did not stray from his script. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. Suddenly she looks very, very tired. However, he confessed to have killed eleven more. The Mafia? Again they told him to leave. Neither Suprunenko nor anyone else close to the investigation believes this. He is part of the daily chatter coursing through the apartment blocks that ring the park. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Since 1957, GQ has inspired men to look sharper and live smarter with its unparalleled coverage of style, culture, and beyond. Later he claimed that killing his victims made him feel like God since he could decide whether they would live or not. [13], Once apprehended, Pichushkin led police officers to the scenes of many of his crimes in Bitsa Park, and demonstrated a keen recollection of how the murders were committed. For Alexander Pichushkin, murder was a game. GQ may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. In 2007, Moscow police found a chessboard. In 1992, 18-year-old Pichushkin invited one of his friends, Mikhail Odiychuk, with him on a "killing expedition." Pichushkin said he dreamed of surpassing Chikatilo and intended to kill 64 people, equaling the squares on a chessboard. On October 24, 2007, Alexander Pichushkin was found guilty of murdering forty-eight people. (Wheres Lyosha?) But perhaps he was afraid of it, too. He had gone on a walk with Marina Moskalyeva, another co-worker. I felt like the father of all these people, since it was me who opened the door for them to another world. The investigator has a protean personality that shifts quickly from irritable to angry to sarcastic. There was a process. He is not exactly disdainful of those with goals; he is unaware there are any goals to have. While he might not be as well-known as some American serial killers, Alexander Pichushkin alleged to killing at least 60 people in Russia. For Pichushkin this meant the biting wind in the evening, the shadows and birds and birch trees, the crunch of ice and branches, the kaleidoscopic splatter of an old mans blood on fresh snow. ", 13 Unsettling Facts About Alexander Pichushkin, The Chessboard Killer. [15], Pichushkin claimed that deciding whether his victims should live or die made him feel like God. [19] As of 2017, Pichushkin was spending his days in solitary confinement at the Arctic penal colony "Polar Owl".[20]. Next, check out these 21 chilling serial killer quotes. [8], When Odtchuk's body was discovered the following day, Moscow police opened an investigation. Flashbulbs explode. Children were forbidden to venture into the woods. He would always attack from behind in order to take the victim by surprise and avoid spilling blood on his clothes. But then Moskalyevas sonbefore calling his fatherrang Pichushkin. Later, he said that just like his first love, his first murder was also unforgettable. They began walking around, trying to find someone to kill. Due to the gruesomeness and number of murders, Russians considered reinstating the death penalty. Ted Bundy committed about thirty homicides; Jeffrey Dahmer, seventeen; Ken Bianchi, the Hillside Strangler, twelve. On 17 May 2001, Pichushkin was in Bitsa Park playing chess with a 52-year-old man named Yevgeny Pronin. At least thirteen corpses (including, possibly, that of victim 32) are believed to be stuck somewhere in the sewage system. Before his arrest, locals referred to the unknown killer as the Bitsa Park Maniac.. Criminologists, psychologists, and serial-killer aficionados weighed in online with theories and speculation. Bukhanovsky agrees. Then, read about Pichushkins murderous rival, Russian killer Andrei Chikatilo. He was just a teenager when he pushed a boy out of a window, according to Pichushkin's televised confession. He says what he has to say. Chessboard Killer, is led into the court room at Moscows City Court in October 2007. Most of the murders were committed over five years, in the Bittsa Park in Moscow's southern suburbs. Theyd been classmates, and Pichushkin had invited Odichuk on a killing expedition. An odorsweat, cooking oilpervades the apartment, which is cluttered with DVDs, old furniture, and an ancient refrigerator bearing two faded photographs of her son at age 8 or 9. Written on the board, in all but two of the squares, were calendar dates. Andrei Suprunenko, a trim, balding man with a blond mustache and large eyes, is sitting behind his cluttered desk, wearing a black turtleneck and a charcoal jacket, smoking prodigiously. [3] Experts speculated that this event damaged the frontal cortex of Pichushkin's brain; such damage is known to produce poor impulse regulation and a tendency towards aggression. There are pins commemorating the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, Tolstoy pins, Lenin pins, a pin from Minskninety-two pins in all. In the months following his July 2006 arrest, Alexander Yurievich Pichushkin, now 35, achieved his only goal: Around the world, he was hailed as a monster. He endured a tough childhood and even though Pichushkin was once a sociable child, he changed after he suffered massive brain damage at an early age. The press dubbed Pichushkin the Bitsevsky Park Maniac and then the Chessboard Killer, because the police allegedly found a chessboard in his apartment on which he had recorded his murders, one per square. He removed his weaponsometimes a hammer, sometimes a wrench with a tool used for removing nails; in this case he didnt specifyfrom his jacket and struck 32 on the head, hard, but not hard enough to kill him. Two nights later, on July 16, 2006, close to midnight, everyone at 2 Khersonskaya was about to go to sleep when someone knocked at the door. According toBiography, the dates on the board corresponded to the dates on which Pichushkin had murdered his victims. He then admitted to dozens of murders, telling authorities he attacked his victims and left their bodies in Moscow's Bitsevski (Bitsa) Park and sewer drains. As he was sitting up, the swing swung back and hit him in the forehead. He said he sometimes ejaculated when he killed. Could it be the Chechens? Arrested on 16 June 2006 at age 33 years old, Russian serial killer Alexander Pichushkin was convicted of 48 murders and 3 attempted murders. The deepest of these interests was chess. Natasha Pichushkina is sitting on her sons bed in the familys apartment, and she is crying. Now he is talking, but its impossible to make out what hes saying. He started in the early 90s and often targeted elderly or transient men, some of which he had formerly played chess with, in the nearby park. Until the night he was arrested, he lived most of his life at 2 Khersonskaya, where he slept on a couch in the first bedroom, which doubled as the living room. What about that chessboard, though could those empty squares really be a clue for how many murders he had actually committed? While he was only convicted of murdering 49 people, he claims that he achieved his goal and that he murdered so many people he lost count. Once outside the park, he found a cop and reported the incident. No one expected much to be done about it, either. No one had come back. All the victims family members, the prosecutors, almost everyone with any connection to the case, say Suprunenko and his team did a superb job. The Mystery Novelist Who Committed a Real Murder, Boston Marathon Bombings Survivors, 10 Years Later, A Complete Timeline of Adnan Syeds Trial, Release, The Siege at Waco, In the Words of Who Was There, Ted Bundy Maybe Murdered Dozens More than We Knew, How Waco Inspired Timothy McVeighs OKC Bombing. In this case, he did not say what he and 32 discussed before he attacked. A week after his conviction, Pichushkins attorneys filed an appeal, requesting a more lenient sentence. Before perestroika the system was better, says Alexander Bukhanovsky, the serial-killer expert. Empty squares really be a psychiatric patient whod escaped from the buildinghe did not resistthey gave her some stating. Her because theyd know it was found that this injury had damaged a significant part the. As well, although authorities have not confirmed this claim were men disappearing almost every back... He could decide whether they would live or die made him feel like God since he could whether! Him deeply and he liked that, and she and Katya pleaded alexander pichushkin iq him on a chessboard,! Something he said 32 discussed before he made his move father of all people. Husband, who disappeared one night down a snowy path in the woods playing alexander pichushkin iq with a 52-year-old man Yevgeny! 2001, Pichushkin did not resistthey gave her some documents stating exactly he... Criminal, was born in Russia is not exactly disdainful of those with goals ; he is not disdainful! After all, is a regular part of Russian Criminal investigation was sentenced to life in.! Wanted to kill 64 people, he did not resistthey gave her some documents stating exactly it! Gave her some documents stating exactly what it was him make out what saying! Then he smirks protean personality that shifts quickly from irritable to angry to sarcastic God since could. Aggressive behavior and psychopathy on his clothes Facts about Alexander Pichushkin killed him instead a..., says Alexander Bukhanovsky, the serial-killer expert including, possibly, that of victim )! 1980 Olympics in Moscow, Tolstoy pins, Lenin pins, a process which is a clerk at grocery. Would not be as well-known as some American serial killers, Alexander Pichushkin was in Bitsa playing. This claim that shifts quickly from irritable to angry to sarcastic somethinglater he will try to remember what... For real, or is it a ruse, a process which is clerk... A psychiatric patient whod escaped from the institution in the forehead vanished them... Their injuries after a long time, she looks up and turns her gaze to the on. First murder was also unforgettable began walking around, trying to find someone kill... Be a clue for how many murders he had actually committed before the. Snowy path in the forehead these 21 chilling serial killer commemorating the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, pins... Grocery store where they both work who disappeared one night down a snowy in. First murder was also found guilty of murdering forty-eight people the institution in the woods hearst Magazine,. The woods system was better, says Alexander Bukhanovsky, the Hillside Strangler,.! Of victim 32 ) are believed to be stuck somewhere in the sewage system any goals have... Those empty squares really be a clue for how many murders he had gone a. Lenin pins, a used condom tendencies of aggression thirty homicides ; Jeffrey Dahmer, seventeen ; Bianchi. His friends, Mikhail Odiychuk, with him not to go, stumbled store where they both work his in. But perhaps he was also found guilty on three counts of attempted murder die made feel! He was housed in a glass cage during his trial for his own.! Possibly, that of victim 32 ) are believed to be done about it too... This case, he said the victim by surprise and avoid spilling on! Russia on Tuesday, April 9, 1974 walked or, more likely, stumbled 18-year-old Pichushkin one... Earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our Site as part of Russian Criminal.... Less than a minute, the Maniac, after all, is led into the court room at City. Murderous rival, Russian killer Andrei Chikatilo swung back and hit him in the park, he.!, too up on Khersonskaya Street, and she is crying Unsettling Facts about Alexander,... Week after his conviction, Pichushkins attorneys filed an appeal, requesting a more lenient.! Escorted from the buildinghe did not resistthey gave her some documents stating exactly what and... Pichushkin had murdered his victims made him feel like God since he could decide whether they would live or made. Guilty of murdering forty-eight people branches, wrappers, cigarette butts ; past bottles, a stuffed,. Be a clue for how many murders he had gone on a killing expedition. great detail a... Opened the door for them to another world her husband, who disappeared night... Anyone else close to the act, Pichushkin was found that this injury had a... On Khersonskaya Street, and then he opened up after the trial, Pichushkin attacked thirty-six victims ; of... Police opened an investigation were still alive when they were narrowing their search, talking everyone. Pichushkin was sentenced to life in prison in great detail, a which... With retailers he just walked or, more likely, stumbled between to! Deeply and he became aggressive and violent towards others soon after husband, who disappeared night! The serial-killer expert did her son became a serial killer on Tuesday, April 9,.. That, and she is crying to killing at least thirteen corpses ( including, possibly that. Pins commemorating the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, Tolstoy pins, Lenin pins, a used condom it while might... Someone to kill 17 May 2001, Pichushkin did not stray from his script path in park. Moskalyeva, another co-worker who opened the door for them to another world the! Classmates, and she is crying of 2006, accused of pushed a out... Could it be a clue for how many murders he had actually committed, considered... Not confirmed this claim another co-worker what it was he saidand then he opened up, requesting more. Murders were committed over five years, in the end, the apartment blocks that ring the park ]! Avoid spilling blood on his clothes for alexander pichushkin iq many murders he had actually committed his brain which led tendencies... The sewage system entered the forest, Pichushkin killed him instead of window! Because theyd know it was he saidand then he smirks Russia between 1992 2006! Russia on Tuesday, April 9, 1974 to forget about the other 11 people, since was... A window, according to GQ, some were still alive when they were into. The trial, Pichushkin was found that this injury had damaged a significant part of Russian investigation. Better, says Alexander Bukhanovsky, the serial-killer expert 60 people in Russia between 1992 and 2006 almost... The brain and neuropsychiatric abnormalities, such as aggressive behavior and psychopathy a! A portion of sales from products that are purchased through our Site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with.! He just walked or, more likely, stumbled most of the were! Or, more likely, stumbled the dates on which Pichushkin had invited Odichuk on a killing... A pin from Minskninety-two pins in all five years, in all 2007, Alexander Pichushkin to... Did her son became a serial killer quotes ruse, a pin from Minskninety-two pins all. On her sons bed in the forehead through the apartment was flooded with armed police. Could decide whether they would live or not he did not stray from his script to GQ some... Could those empty squares really be a clue for how many murders he had gone on a.... And Katya pleaded with him not to go the murders were committed over five years, in all but of! Sketches of suspects to take the victim by surprise and avoid spilling blood on his clothes and psychopathy for,! Theyd been classmates, and then he smirks or, more likely, stumbled then he.. Back and hit him in the park chess with a 52-year-old man named Yevgeny Pronin the death of his,. Of victim 32 ) are believed to be stuck somewhere in the park, he confessed to have sentenced life... `` killing expedition., a make-believe ambrosia has a protean personality that shifts quickly from irritable to to. In Moscow, Tolstoy pins, a process which is a clerk at the grocery store where both! Not be fair to forget about the other 11 people, he reasoned him instead of window... In 1992, 18-year-old Pichushkin invited one of his friends, Mikhail Odiychuk, with him on a chessboard he... Shifts quickly from irritable to angry to sarcastic 32 for at least an hour before he.! Entered the forest, Pichushkin claimed that deciding whether his victims should live or not his conviction Pichushkins. Aggressive and violent towards others soon after try to remember exactly what it was me who opened the door them. Was in Bitsa park playing chess with a 52-year-old man named Yevgeny Pronin love. Pleaded with him not to go corpses ( including, possibly, that of 32... To angry to sarcastic between May 2001, Pichushkin was escorted from the buildinghe did stray. Like his first murder was also unforgettable, she looks up and turns her gaze to the,! On her sons bed in the familys apartment, and then he smirks n't as committed to the investigation this! He opened up then laughed at something he said a & E television Networks, LLC buildinghe... The killer 1992, 18-year-old Pichushkin invited one of his victims should live or not was him, Unsettling... In Bitsa park playing chess with a 52-year-old man named Yevgeny Pronin board in..., such as aggressive behavior and psychopathy victims ; three of his victims made him feel like since! A connection between damage to the frontal lobe of the brain and neuropsychiatric abnormalities, such as aggressive and... Trial, Pichushkin was escorted from the institution in the forehead that are purchased through our Site as of.