Konstantin Cheryomukhin

The exact date of birth and birthplace of Cheryomukhin is not clear. He was a spoiled child, who always got what he wanted. It is known that in his youth Cheryomukhin learned that his father was not really his father, as he was barren and allowed his mother to have children from extraneous men. Specialists believe that the discovery deformed Cheryomukhin's psyche.[1] He was tried twice for car theft.[2]

The series of murders began in 1986. The first murder (that of Svetlana Yefimova) was committed by Cheryomukhin earlier the year, after which he burned the body of the murdered girl at a stake. All three subsequent murders (Elena Gaeva, Tanya Khloboschina and Oksana Yakovenko) were also committed with particular cruelty. He offered the intended victims a ride in his personal car, then brought them to a deserted place and killed them. After the murders, Cheryomukhin cut off their mammary glands and external genitalia from the victims.

In those years in the Rostov Oblast, another killer was operating - Andrei Chikatilo. His search involved a whole team of investigators from the Prosecutor's Office of the RSFSR, there was an operation named "Lesopolosa" to catch the killer. The investigators drew attention to the murders in Bataysk, initially assuming that the same killer was operating there. But then the investigation revealed that the murders were committed by another person, since he traveled to the crime scene by car and took away the victims' valuables (unlike Chikatilo). Cheryomukhin hoped that his crimes would be compared to that of Chikatilo. The investigators were surprised that a cunning and cautious killer began to kill in the midst of a large-scale operation to catch another criminal.

In early 1989, Cheryomukhin was arrested and soon confessed. On November 3 of the same year, the Rostov Regional Court sentenced him to death. In 1993, he was executed by firing squad.

• List of Russian serial killers

• Maniacs and serial killers: Konstantin Cheryomukhin