Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo (October 16, 1936 - February 14, 1994) was a Soviet serial killer who killed more than 50 people from 1978 to 1990. He was dubbed the "Rostov Slayer", the "Red Ripper" and the Rostov Ripper. ”.
Exploited, killed and amputated, this is the heinous act Chiaktilo did to his female and child victims from Russia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Chikatilo confessed to killing more than 56 people and was tried for 53 murders in April 1992. He was sentenced to death in October 1992. He was shot in Rostov Oblast, Russia on February 14, 1994. The case of Chikatilo's murder has resounded because in addition to the number of his victims, the reminders issued by the Soviet Union police to the public during their investigation of Chikatilo were hindered by the ideology of the Soviet nation - that a serial killer in communist society was impossible.
Chikatilo was born in Yablochnoye, Ukraine on October 16, 1936, a time when Ukraine was experiencing extreme hunger and others simply chose to eat people to survive. In his youth, his mother repeatedly told him that he had an older brother who was kidnapped and eaten by their neighbors. These stories and events pushed Chikatilo to eat his victim in his old age. He also enjoyed reading stories of Soviet assassination of German captives during World War II. These things introduced the dark and gloomy life of the 'Rostov Ripper'.
After completing his military service, Chikatilo worked as a telephone operator in Rostov, Russia, where he also married in 1963. In 1971 he obtained his degree from the Rostov Liberal Arts university and later became a teacher. He was forced to resign as a teacher after receiving complaints of rape from his students.
Chikatilo began his assassination in 1978. He attracted his victims whom he met at train stations and bus stops in Rostov. After being seduced, it is there that the “butcher” will commit his heinous crime. He would take them to the thick part, rape them and then kill them with his knife. Chikatilo cuts off the body parts of his victims. He then cuts off the genitals of his victim, even his nose and tongue and then eats them. There he also pulled its eyes.
Due to the uniform style of killing his victims, it was here that the police realized that there was a serial killer roaming Rostov. Chikatilo was able to hide from the authorities because the crime was rampant at that time. The gradual collapse of the Soviet Union that caused poverty among some citizens pushed others to hold on to the knife.
Police arrested Chikatilo in 1984 after he was found molesting a girl at a train station. Although a knife and some suspicious items were found in his briefcase, the blood and semen found at the crime scene did not match based on the police investigation. He was charged with theft from his former employer and sentenced to one year in prison. He was also released three months later.
After his release, Chikatilo resumed his murder. After extensive surveillance of train stations and bus stops, he was re-arrested in November 1990. It was determined in his briefcase that he was carrying the same belongings found on him when he was first arrested in 1984. He was declared in good spirits and was able to appear in court so he was taken to court in April 1992.
Named "The Maniac", Chikatilo was placed in a cage during his trial to protect the relatives of his victims. There are times when he sings, speaks incomprehensible words, and there are times when he lowers his jump and shows his delicate body parts to the public. His trial lasted until August 1992 when he was sentenced to death.
He appealed to President Boris Yeltsin but was finally denied in January 1994. He was shot in the head on February 14, 1994.
