Andrei Chikatilo

Andrei Chikatilo Whitley Purvis Forensic Science 3/4th period

Early Life & Childhood • Born on October 16,1936 in Yablochnoye, a village in Ukraine. • During his childhood famine and poverty was very widespread in the USSR. • His mother was told to be very harsh to him and his siblings, and unforgiving. • His father was in the war against Germany, he had a younger sister, and he grew up believing his older brother was kidnapped and cannibalized. • His family was very poor, without her husband Andrei’s mother was unable to provide for her children, they often had to eat leaves and grass.

Health Issues • At birth Andrei suffered from hydrocephalus (water on brain) which caused in genital issues such as urinary tract infections and an inability to keep an erection. • Chronic bed-wetter • Suffered from chronic impotence, worsening his social awkwardness and self-hatred • Near sighted almost to the point of blindness.

Education & School Life Chikatilo was bullied severely in school, mostly because of his fathers cowardliness from running from the war, and his health issues. Attended school was very studious, he studied often especially at home mostly because he was often unable to read the black board at school because of his poor eyesight. At age 14 he was the editor of his school newspaper and chairman of the pupils’ communist committee. Failed entrance exam into Moscow University

Military Activity • Served his compulsory military duty from 1957-1960 • Served in the Army, he was deployed into Urals where he worked on a construction project. • After he served he moved back home with his mother and father.

Work Experience • First job was teaching at a local boys mining school • Even though he was very knowledgeable in the subjects he taught he was unable to maintain discipline because he once again was the subject of ridicule. • He was very intimidated by his male students at the school to the point where he carried a knife for protection. • The boys called him “goose neck” and referred to him as a homosexual. • He began molesting the boys in their dorm rooms.

Wife and children • In 1963, Chikatilo married a woman to whom he was introduced by his younger sister. • The couple had a son and daughter. • Chikatilo later claimed that his marital sex life was minimal and that, after his wife understood that he was unable to maintain an erection • He would ejaculate externally and push his semen inside her vagina with his fingers, this is how they were able to conceive their children.

First Murder December 22,1978- Yelena Zakotnova Shakhty, a coal mining town near Rostov-on-Don Chikatilo lured 9 year old Yelena into a secret house which he had bought. He attempted to rape the young girl and when she struggled he continued to stab her to death. While doing so he became aroused and ejaculated. He threw her body into a river, the body was found two days later. Waited three years after this murder to commit another one.

Influence from first murder • Chikatilo was able to achieve sexual arousal and orgasm only through stabbing and slashing women and children to death • After the death of Yelena Zakotnova, townspeople and police suspicions were high, Chikatilo got a job as a traveling procurement officer. • This job helped him locate and “hunt” his victims and kept suspicions away from him because he was constantly traveling.

Suspicions & Police involvement After the murders started becoming more frequent and suspicions of suspicious activity from Chikatilo arose, he was put under surveillance by under cover policemen. He was caught trying to approach children by an undercover policemen, and went to trial. The search of the suspect revealed a well-sharpened kitchen knife. It was the same knife that took the lives of dozens of people, mostly children. Also, the detectives noticed that one finger nail was missing from the suspect. Later it will be proved that it had been removed by the teeth of one of his victims, during the struggle. Police tried to convince the suspect that he is mentally ill and in need of medical help. They want to make him believe he can escape the death penalty by reason of insanity. In the next days, Chikatilo is ready, he confesses to the murders.

Others police suspected • Satanic cults (because of the gruesome ritualistic performances on bodies) • A group of boys from a mentally handicapped home • A group of people harvesting organs to sell for transplant

What sparked the series or murders? In 1982, Chikatilo committed his second murder, three years after committing his first. Larisa Tkachenko The victim was a 17 year old girl he met at a rail way station, who he convinced to have sex with him by bribery. He was unable to achieve erection and she ridiculed him, he then strangled and killed her. He had no knife so he mutilated her body with his teeth and a stick. This is where he began shaping grotesque techniques and types.

Runaways and young vagrants at bus or railway stations. Enticed them to leave by promising money or alcohol, the adults were mostly prostitutes or homeless. Children were of both sexes. Victims spanned from ages 7-45 years old. His type

His first arrest/interview An undercover policemen spotted him coming out of the forest, the policemen noticed a smear of blood on his cheek and a severely cut finger. (cut because victim bit it off) Policemen asked him to show his papers, he was 54,the detective didn’t have enough reason to hold him, but did file a report for suspicion. The next day a body was found in the same woods, on November 20,1990 Andrei was apprehended. He was suspect for committing more than 30 murders but there was no eye witnesses.

How victims were killed Lure- Rape- Strangle- Stab-Mutilate This is the sequence of how most of his murders were conducted. *He was known to carry up to 23 knives with him. The picture to the left is Chikatilo reenacting one of his murders for police and investigators.

Gruesome techniques Cut off tips of: • tounges • Nipples • Genitals • Mutilate the bodies of his victims, severe genitals • Would not ingest human flesh but chew on it. • Bodies lacerated with scores of stab wounds • Gauge eyes out

Trial Rostov courtroom on April 14, 1992. There were 225 volumes of information collected about him and against him. The courtroom seated 250, was filled with the family of many of his alleged victims. There was a chance that his psychological problems could save him from execution, However, his lawyer did not have the right to call psychiatric experts. The trial went into August. He asked for a verdict of not guilty. Chikatilo broke into song from his cage and then talked a string of nonsense, he repeated each of the crimes, and asked for the death penalty. The judge took two months to reach a verdict, and on October 14, six months after the trial begun, he pronounced Andrei Chikatilo guilty of five counts of molestation and 52 counts of murder. The judge sentenced him to be executed. The people shouted for Chikatilo to be turned over to them to be torn to pieces as he had done to their loved ones. But instead he was taken back to his cell to await the results of an appeal. His lawyer claimed through official channels that the psychiatric assessment had not been objective and he wanted further analysis. Bald and without his glasses, he looked slightly crazy, especially when he drooled and rolled his eyes later in the trial.

Pictures from Trial & Conviction

Execution He was convicted guilty of almost all of the fifty-three murders he had committed. During his trial he had to be kept in a cage in the courtroom to protect him from the angry family members of the deceased. On February 14th,1994 Chikatilo was shot dead in a soundproof room in Novocherkassk, Russia.

Confession Authorities had 10 days to get all the evidence they could to convict Chikatilo. On the ninth day a psychiatrist was brought in to talk to Chikatilo one on one. They were together for 7 hours, he used techniques that were much different than the intense police questioning. Chikatilo opened up to him, he confessed to the murders. Chikatilo even reenacted the murders using dummies, he not only confessed to the murders police already knew but 17 more. Chikatilo led the investigators to the graves of the victims.

Contradictions • Some websites said he had a son and a daughter, while other websites said he had only two sons. • I found a lot of websites saying he was executed on February 14,1994, while a few said the 15th. • I read that he was executed by firing squad, and some said a single shot to the head. • Some believe his serial killing spree sparked at a young age while others say it didn’t begin until he was 42 years old. • Some say he was only interested in women but he was known to kill and rape people from both genders.

Sources Most of my most valuable information came from the websites with the stars beside them. • Biography.com • Listverse.com • Halloweenescapade.co.uk • Themindofaserialkiller.tumblr.com • Murderperdia.org • Sagepub.com • Bestgore.com • Brittanica.com • Angelfire.com • Globalomen.com • Crimelibrary.com • Serialkillers.briancombs.net

Statistics of Serial killers • The USA has 76% of the worlds serial killers • 84% of American killers are Caucasian. • 16% are black. • Men make up at least 90% of the world wide total of serial killers. • 65% of victims are female. • 89% of victims are white. • 44% of all killers start in their twenties.

Andrei Chikatilo