The first serial criminal in the history of the Russian Empire, or how detectives hunted an elusive maniac

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Throughout the summer of 1909, the elusive St. Petersburg maniac caused panic among the metropolitan brunettes. Murderers have existed at all times, but usually they were ruled by selfish goals and motives. Nikolai Radkevich was recorded as the first criminal of a different type in Russian history - a maniac. The court passed an unexpectedly mild sentence against the Petersburg murderer, but fate decreed in its own way.

Strange customer and brutal murder

The first victim of a mysterious criminal was found in the Neva. At least a dozen knife wounds were counted on the body of the victim. In the Russian state at that time, prostitution was absolutely legal earnings. Only passports for women were replaced by a special document known as the "yellow ticket". Despite the fact that the identity of the murdered "yellow-ticket holder" was established immediately, the detectives did not find the slightest clue.

A few days later, Petersburg was shocked by a similar murder, but this time there were witnesses. The body of the second prostitute Catherine Gerus was found in a cheap hotel intended for one-time meetings. The victim was literally slashed with a knife. The bellboy, who delivered alcohol and snacks to the room, spotted a suspicious customer. And when he left the institution, a dialogue even arose between the men. A young man with a beard and unusually long arms asked not to disturb the tired lady for at least an hour.

Both crimes were combined into one proceeding. But a particular panic in the circles of women of easy virtue began after the assassination attempt on Zinaida Levina. The maniac pounced on the woman with the words "Death to the beauties!". But this time he was interrupted by bystanders. The next attempt at a brothel on Kolomenskaya was also unsuccessful.

Love trauma of youth

In adolescence, a mental tragedy happened to the future serial maniac. The pupil of the Arakcheevsky cadet corps succumbed to the charms of a mature officer's widow. But the whirlwind romance did not last long, after which the windy lady left the young man in love, however, having managed to infect him with syphilis. Further motives and intentions of the humiliated and rejected gentleman were determined by blind fury and an unrestrained desire for revenge. He followed the woman on his heels, and when he saw her in the company of a new boyfriend, he rushed to the offender with a knife.

But the teenager did not have enough strength - the companion of the former lover easily neutralized the attacker, turning him over to the police. The scandal was hushed up, but the military career was a foregone conclusion. The young man was kicked out of the cadet corps with a bang. This incident gave rise to an obsessive thought in the head of Nikolai Radkevich: now the purpose of his existence was to cleanse society of depraved and insidious women.

Assignment of a high-profile case to the best Russian detective

The metropolitan detective police at that time was headed by Vladimir Filippov, who was considered the best St. Petersburg search officer in the professional environment. In the history of law enforcement agencies, he remained the founder of the "flying squads" - an analogue of today's OMON. Also, his name figured in solving the most high-profile and confusing crimes of that period.

At the beginning of the 20th century, about 500 murders were committed annually in the capital of the Russian Empire. At the same time, the staff of the city detective police consisted of only a couple of dozen employees. The head of the police unit not only had to supervise the activities of subordinates, but often himself regularly participate in all activities as a private.

Filippov was struck by the inexplicable cruelty with which the murders were committed. After carefully analyzing all the details, the detective connected the killer with the navy. This was evidenced by his appearance (the beard was popular among sailors), and the weapon of crime. As established by forensic scientists, the killings were carried out with a knife, often used by sailors. The maniac was clearly not interested in material things. He was guided by some common motive, and all the victims were young attractive brunettes.

Finally, the detectives managed to get on the trail. In one Petersburg pub, a strange, lanky man was repeatedly noticed. Drinking with local visitors, he told me that he was a sailor in the merchant marine. All of his interlocutors indicated that he showed an unusual interest in the topic of the murders of local prostitutes. And in a drunken stupor, for some reason, he assured drinking companions that the police would not be able to establish the identity of the real killer. In the establishment, the bearded man was known as Vadim Krovyanik, and one of the drunks even named the address of the suspect's flophouse. But in the indicated place such a name was never heard, while the appearance of the described one was well known.

The capture of the killer and the lenient sentence

Nikolai Radkevich committed his last crime on September 19. On that day, following his bloody scenario, the maniac lured Maria Budochnikova to the hotel. Having inflicted more than 30 deep stab wounds on her, he left a note next to the body. Radkevich reported that he robbed the victim at the expense of his own labors and that the previous murder was his own work. He simply signed: "Vadim Krovyanik". After that, he traditionally tried to warn the bellhop, but the latter suspected something was wrong, making a noise. Hotel employees immediately came running from all sides and, despite Radkevich's resistance with a knife, they neutralized him. The maniac was arrested, and the city finally sighed calmly.

At first, Radkevich was placed in a psychiatric clinic. Psychiatrists were divided over his condition. But in the end, the killer was found to be quite sane and ready to stand trial. On March 10, 1912, the jury, clearly doubting the defendant's mental health, delivered a surprisingly mild verdict. The maniac was sentenced to only 8 years in hard labor. However, this did not save his life in any way - he was never released again. At the end of 1916, shortly before the start of the February Revolution, his life ended in hard labor. There are several versions of his death. According to the most common St. Petersburg Jack the Ripper, criminals were killed during the stage to the place of serving the sentence.

And the most famous maniac in the world today is psychopath and sectarian Charles Manson.