Russian Man Facing Trial for 49 Murders
Accused of being one of Russia’s most prolific serial killers, Alexander Pichushkin is to face trial in a month in 49 murders reportedly committed between 1992 and 2006.
The 33-year-old is accused of murdering many of his alleged victims, who are mostly men, by plying them with alcohol and then bludgeoning them to death once they were too drunk to resist, reports the BBC. “Police said he told them after his arrest he planned to kill 64 people–one for each square on a chess-board,” the British news agency reports.
Prosecutors are reportedly still investigating other possible cases against Pichushkin. His jury trial is expected to focus on whether he was sane at the time of the murders. As his lawyer, Pavel Ivannikov, recently told reporters: “My client understands that he is to blame for most of these murders,” according to the BBC.
If convicted, he is expected to be sentenced to life in prison, because Russia currently has a death penalty moratorium.
