Serial Killers Around the World - Part Two

In part two of the Serial Killers Around The World articles, we will take a look into the lives of three notorious serial killers. Andrei Chikatilo, Albert Fish, and Richard Ramirez. All very different serial killers, yet all the same in some small form.

Andrei Chikatilo was born on October 16,1936 in the Ukraine. Poverty stricken most of his life, his older brother murdered and eaten by his neighbors during a time when Russia was in famine and over a million lives were lost. Chikatilo's life was basically almost written for him. He never really had a chance at normalcy, even with the slight chance of something normal, Chikatilo went the other way and starting taking other people's chances instead.

Andrei was not your normal serial killer who started killing people early in his life, he actually starting killing people when he became a middle aged man. His first victim being a young girl of 9 whom he raped numerous times, strangled and then stabbed her death was on December 22, 1976. Her young, battered body was found in the Grushevka River a couple of days later. Authorities however did not lean towards Chikatilo as the main suspect, instead put the blame on a 25 year old ex-convict who had been in prison prior for murder and rape. The man was beaten so badly by police that he confessed to the killing and was sentenced to death by firing squad. Andrei was still on the loose.

But in September of 1981, Andrei released his terror and bodies started piling up over the next nine years. Dozens, upon dozens of victims would be found in a wooded area usually across from bus stations or train stations. His victims were of no preference, women, children, boys or girls, it did not matter. Their bodies were found mutilated, raped, beaten, some beyond recognition. One specific trait Andrei did leave was stab wounds to the face. This was his MO, and he was dubbed the Rostov Ripper. In the month of August in 1984, eight victims were found. Adrei had been held for questioning, but with no evidence to hold him, authorities had to let him go. Finally in 1990, Andrei had been walking at the bus station when police noticed his clothes had been blood soaken, not arresting him at the time, they took his name down and kept an eye on his whereabouts. Not even two weeks later another victim was found by the same bus station that Andrei had been seen at, and police moved in on their suspect, and on November 20, 1990, Andrei Chikatilo was arrested.

Unfortunately most of Chikatilo's victims were not named since they were mainly prostitutes and runaways that no one knew of. But fortunately Andrei Chikatilo was charged with 53 counts of the 55 victims he confessed to killing. On October 15, 1992, Chikatilo was found guilty of all counts but one. His appeal for clemency was denied immediately by President Boris Yeltsin on February 15, 1994 and was sentenced to death by firing squad. That same day Andrei Chikatilo met his fate with one shot to the back of his head.

Albert Fish was born in Washington D.C. in 1870. One of the most notorious, cannibalistic serial killers of all time, his fate had basically been made before he was even born. Nine close relatives of Albert Fish died inside mental hospitals leaving him with a sense of no self worth. Having such mental problems in his families life you would expect people not to be shocked when they found out he was a serial killer, but to expect it or watch out for it in his near future.

Fish who married in 1898 to a woman 9 years younger than himself, fathered six children, unfortunately his wife was not happy with the relationship and in 1917 she ran away with another man John Straube. This is when his children noticed his changed in attitude. Numerous times after his wife departure, Fish would have screaming rages and tell his children that he was Christ. He would also make his children and their friends hit him with a wooden paddle until his backside would bleed profusely. He also would insert needles into his groin, at one point in time, an x-ray revealed that there had been 27 needles lodged into Fish's groin area, those needles being the ones that he had misplaced while giving himself pain. Another pain related pastime that Fish's would put upon himself was to soak cotton balls in alcohol, then inserting them into his anus where he would light them on fire.

Fish would marry three times, even though the marriage to his first wife had never been ended by the courts. His sexual drive was one of many sick fetishes that he had. Authorities who talked to Fish named over 18 different fetishes, one being coprophagia, which is the consumption of human urine and feces. Fish who's pain fetish was focused mainly on young children claimed to have sexually assaulted nearly 400 children. Police however have only linked him to 100 assaults in 23 different states.

In 1928, Albert Fish became friends with the Budd family. He became so close to the family that they allowed him to escort their daughter to a party that Fish had made up, he then took the young 12 year-old to a cottage and dismembered her, saving a few pieces of he flesh for a stew he had planned to make. Six years later, the Budd family received a letter in the mail from Fish stating that their little girl had died a virgin and that she tasted better than any of the other children he had killed. Police traced the letter back to Fish by the unusual stationary he had used.

Police then arrested Fish for the murder of Grace Budd. Once in custody, Fish confessed to many other killings, but police only linked him to 15 murders. The names however were never released. But the gruesome details of the killings were the same as Grace Budd. Dismemberment played a key role in his killings as well as cannibalism. At his trial, Fish was found guilty of Grace Budd's murder and sentenced to die. On January 16, 1936, Albert Fish was electrocuted at Sing Sing Prison. It took two jolts of electricity to kill Fish, some say the reason was from all the needles that had been embedded inside of his groin, others say it was just what he had coming to him.

Richard Ramirez is by far one of my all time favorite serial killers. He is the one that baffled the Los Angeles police for a good period of time. He was not your average serial killer since he changed his MO so many different times during all his killings. Although messy in many ways, Richard Ramirez, better known to California residents as the Night Stalker claimed 16 lives.

Richard Ramirez was in fact a sadistic home invader that preyed upon whoever came into his path. He did not have a certain preference when it came to his victims.Young or old, men or women, even children were victims of this satan loving serial killers. His path of destruction and terror began with a 79 year-old woman in Glassel Park in June of 1984. Two other murders had happened in February of 1985, a six year-old child had been taken from a bus stop and carried away in a laundry bag, being dropped in Silver Lake, and the other a nine year-old was taken from her bedroom in Monterey Park, raped and then left in Elysian Park. Police however did not release any details about the murders, and did not think that the cases were linked in anyway.

However by March 1985, the Night Stalker went from child molestation to murder very quickly. His anger was building, and the need for more satisfaction was intensifying greatly. His victims and how they were killed are as followed: March 17, 1985, 35 year-old Dayle Okazaki was shot in the head in the kitchen of her apartment, luckily her roommate, Maria Hernandez who had also been shot survived the attack. March 17, 1985, Tsai Lian Yu was taken from her parked car and shot numerous times, she died at the scene. March 20,1985, a young girl whose name is withheld was taken from her home and raped numerous times, shockingly he let her go. March 27, 1985, 64 year-old Vincent Zazzaras and wife, Maxine were killed in their home, Vincent had been shot to death, Maxine had been raped numerous times and stabbed over 10 times, her eyes also had been cut out. May 14, 1985, 63 year-old William Doi was shot in the head, his wife Lillie had been cuffed to their bed and raped. William Doi had enough strength to call the police but died on the scene. May 30, 1985, Carol Kyle and her 12 year-old son were awoken in the middle of the night by Ramirez, although he did not kill her, he raped her repeatedly while her son was handcuffed in a cupboard. June 1, 1985, Ramirez beats to death an 83 year-old woman in her home and draws a pentagram on her wall and leg with her lipstick.

Still at large Richard keeps going, June 27, 1985, Patty Higgins is killed and her throat slashed in her home. July 2, 1985, Mary Cannon is killed and her throat slashed as well. July 5, 1985, Whitney Bennet who is all of 16 years-old is beaten with a crowbar inside of her parents home, luckily she survives. July 7, 1985, 65 year-old Joyce Nelson is beaten and strangled to death inside of her home. July 7,1985, Sophie Dickman is raped and robbed, luckily surviving. July 20, 1985, Max and Lela Kneiding are killed inside of their home, Max who was shot and Lela whose neck was slashed so deeply that her head is nearly decapitated.July 20,1985, Chainarong and Somkid Khovanath are attacked in their home, Chainarong who is shot, his wife who is raped as and beaten and their son who is also raped in front of his mother. Both survive the attack but Chainarong dies at the scene. August 8,1985, Elyas and Sakina Abowath are attacked in their home, Elyas who is shot and killed and his wife, severely beaten and raped numerous times. August 17, 1985, Peter and Barbara Pan are attacked and shot in the head while at home, both killed. And finally the last victims of Richard Ramirez, August 24, 1985, William Carns and his fiancee Inez Erickson were attacked while at home, William who was shot three times luckily survived, but with permanent brain damage and Inez was brutally raped and survived as well.

On his last killing venture, Richard had taken William Carns' car an abandoned it. When police recovered the car, a clear set of fingerprints were lifted and analyzed, once the results were back, the fingerprints pointed to Richard Ramirez. An "all points bulletin" was put out and flyers with Richard's mug shot was circulated all around Los Angeles. By September 1985, The Night Stalker was apprehended and the reign of terror that had been leashed upon Los Angeles was over. Ramirez was charged with 14 murders and 22 counts of sexual assault. Jury selection for his trial began on July 22, 1988 and it took until September 20, 1989 for the jury to convict him of 13 murders and over 30 different felonies. Just a few weeks later, Ramirez was sentenced to death on November 7, 1989. When the sentence was handed down, Richard Ramirez replied with " Big deal. Death always went with the territory, I'll see you in Disneyland."

As of today, Richard Ramirez still sits on Death Row in California's San Quentin prison.