Russian Serial Killer Alexander Pichushkin Admits to 11 Additional Murders, Bringing Total to 59

Russian serial killer Alexander Pichushkin, also known as the “chessboard killer,” has shocked authorities by stating that he is willing to admit to 11 additional murders on top of the 48 confirmed killings that landed him a life sentence in 2007. The 50-year-old has been serving his sentence in the Polar Owl prison in the remote Arctic northern region of Russia for the past 18 years, following a killing spree that spanned from 1992 to 2006.

Pichushkin’s confession comes after investigators suspected that he may have been responsible for more deaths than initially believed. Over the course of 14 years, he targeted elderly individuals, alcoholics, and homeless people around Bitsevsky Park in southern Moscow. His chilling moniker, “the chessboard killer,” was earned after he revealed his twisted goal of placing a coin on every square of a 64-square chessboard for each victim he claimed.

The serial killer’s initial claim of 63 murders was reduced to 48 confirmed killings, along with charges for 3 attempted murders. If his latest confession is verified, Pichushkin’s body count would rise to 59, making him the second most prolific serial killer in Russian history. The current record holder is Mikhail Popkov, a former policeman convicted of 78 murders, followed by Andrei Chikatilo, who was found guilty of killing and mutilating 52 people in 1992.

During Pichushkin’s trial, Russian prosecutor Yury Syomin revealed that the killer harbored ambitions of surpassing Chikatilo’s gruesome legacy. The revelation of these additional murders has reignited public interest in the case, shedding new light on the dark and disturbing actions of one of Russia’s most notorious criminals.