Alexander Pichushkin wanted to kill as many people as there were squares on a chessboard. Although he was unsuccessful, he was convicted of 49 murders. It is suspected that he may have committed as many as 62 murders. He mainly killed older men whom he brutally slaughtered after they got drunk with him.
Biography
Alexander Yuryevich Pichushkin was born on April 9, 1974 in Moscow, Russia. His father left the family when he was young. When Pichushkin was 4 years old, he was hit hard on the head by a swing. His mother believes this incident is related to his murderous intent. He became depressed when his grandfather, who also lived with him and his mother, died. He blamed his grandfather for leaving him alone. At the time of his arrest in 2007, he was still living with his mother and working as a stocker in a supermarket.
Crimes
Pichushkin committed his first murder when he was 18. He pushed a neighbor boy out the window. Although he was then questioned by police, it was eventually ruled a suicide. He did not commit any murders for years until 2001. In the 5 years that followed, he murdered up to 62 victims. Most of the victims were acquaintances he had met in Bittsevsky Park where he often played chess with older men. After a game of chess, he invited these older men to join him for a glass of vodka. He usually said that he was very sad that his dog had died and was looking for a friend to have a glass of vodka together. Once the victim was drunk, he would beat him to death with a hammer or pipe. He smashed the skull and then stuck an empty vodka bottle in it. He did not rape his victims, but he did say he was sexually aroused by his murders. Although the majority of his victims were older men, he also murdered 3 women and a child. Many victims were never found again because he threw them into the sewer. Some victims were still alive and one person can tell the story of his ordeal.
Pichushkin was eventually caught because he murdered a woman who worked with him in the supermarket. She had left a note for her son saying she was going for a walk with Pichushkin. He was arrested in June 2006 .
Trial
After his arrest, police found a chessboard with dates on 62 squares. The police were unable to connect all the data to victims and Pichushkin was eventually charged with 51 murders. He himself thought that he should also be charged for the other 11 victims. According to him, that was fair for the victims. In October 2007, he was found guilty of 49 murders and 3 attempted murders. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Pichushkin never showed remorse for his crimes. He told a journalist: ,For me, a life without murders is like a life without food for you., After his arrest, he led police to more victims’ bodies and proudly re-enacted a number of murders in great detail. It is suggested that Pichushkin tried to kill more than Chikatilo, a Russian serial killer who was convicted of 52 murders. Pichushkin himself claims that he would have continued killing if he had not been caught.
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