Russia's 'chessboard killer' Alexander Pichushkin poised to confess to 11 more murders, officials say
Alexander Pichushkin, now 50 years old, targeted his victims - many of them homeless, alcoholics or elderly - around Bitsevsky Park in Moscow.
His killing spree lasted from 1992 to 2006, and he was then tried and jailed in 2007.
Russian media nicknamed him the "chessboard killer" because he told detectives he had planned to place a coin on every square of a 64-square chessboard for each of his victims.
The serial killer has been detained in a remote prison in Russia's Arctic, the Polar Owl prison, since being sentenced.
He has long been suspected of killing more people than the 48 for whose murders he has already been convicted.
Now he has told investigators he is prepared to confess to 11 further killings of men and women, Russia's prison system said in a statement on the Telegram messenger app on Saturday.
During his previous trial, he claimed to have killed 63 people, but he was only charged with 48 murders and three attempted murders.
Should he be convicted of the 11 additional murders, he would become Russia's second most prolific serial killer on record.
Mikhail Popkov, a former policeman, was convicted of 78 murders.
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The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Intel, Epstein investigations grip Washington
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New York Post
2 hours ago
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Russia is sending kidnapped Ukrainian teens to the frontlines, Kyiv says: ‘Fighting against their own people'
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UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
GOP's Graham, Cornyn call for special counsel probe of Barack Obama
1 of 2 | Former president Barack Obama energizes the crowd, urging attendees to get involved and vote in Philadelphia in 2024. Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and John Cornyn have called for special counsel after Director of National Security Tulsi Gabbard released more unclassified documents about the Obama administration. File Photo by David Muse/UPI | License Photo July 24 (UPI) -- U.S. Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, are calling for a special counsel to investigate allegations against former President Barack Obama. The senators said they want the truth about Obama's alleged "manipulation" before the 2016 election. "For the good of the country, Senator @JohnCornyn and I urge Attorney General (Pam) Bondi to appoint a special counsel to investigate the extent to which former President Obama, his staff and administration officials manipulated the U.S. national security apparatus for a political outcome," Graham posted on X. A special counsel is someone brought from outside to investigate independently. "As we have supported in the past, appointing an independent special counsel would do the country a tremendous service in this case," Fox News reported Graham and Cornyn said. This call comes one day after Director of Homeland Security Tulsi Gabbard released a second formerly classified document alleging wrongdoing by Obama. The Department of Justice created a "strike force" to investigate the evidence. The document cast doubts on Russian President Vladimir Putin's desire to help Trump beat Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. It backed up the argument that Russia wanted to interfere in the election. It was part of a House Intelligence Committee report from Sept. 18, 2020, when Republicans controlled the House. Though it doesn't dispute that Moscow interfered in the election, it shows the Obama administration's handling of Russian activity. Last week, Gabbard released a document that accused Obama and his Cabinet of manufacturing an intelligence report to falsely accuse Russia of acting to ensure Trump defeated Clinton during the 2016 election. Obama's team responded to last week's report. "Nothing in that document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes," Obama spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said in a prepared statement on Tuesday. "These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio." "With every piece of information that gets released, it becomes more evident that the entire Russia collusion hoax was created by the Obama administration to subvert the will of the American people," Graham and Cornyn said. Trump earlier in the day accused Obama of "trying to lead a coup" with Hillary Clinton.
