Nikolay Radkevich: He Took Terrible Pleasure In Killing

“He took a terrible pleasure in killing” How the best detectives of St. Petersburg caught the first maniac of the Russian Empire

Serial Killer Nikolay Vladimirovich Radkevich

At the end of 2022, the courts in Russia handed down five life sentences, and among those convicted there were three maniacs at once: Vitaly Molchanov from Rybinsk , Shavkat Shayakhmedov from the Oryol region and Vitaly Nasrtdinov from Kirovograd .

The history of criminology knows a lot of murderers, for whom the reprisal against the victim was the goal and meaning of the crimes. There were brutal serial killers both in the Soviet Union and in the Russian Empire. Officially, the first Russian maniac is the nobleman Nikolay Radkevich, whom the townsfolk dubbed the St. Petersburg Jack the Ripper. The history of his crimes, which shook the capital of Russia at the beginning of the 20th century,

September 17, 1909, St. Petersburg. In the evening, a tall client with a skipper’s beard enters the Kyao Hotel in the company of a prostitute, Maria Budochnikova. To the bellboy Yakov Kazenov, the man introduces himself as Vladimir Sokolov, asks for a number. But Kazenov, who has heard about the terrible killer who is operating in the capital, the guest seems suspicious.

Budochnikova begs the bellhop to check them in, then Kazenov brings the couple beer to the room and goes to sleep on the couch not far from their door. At the beginning of the seventh morning, Sokolov leaves the room and asks the bellhop to open the door to the street. “The young lady will sleep until half past eight,” he throws Kazenov.

The bellboy, just in case, decides to check the room and does not find Budochnikova either in bed or in the bathroom. “Where is your companion?” he asks. “Yes, there she is, sleeping,” Sokolov says and points to a pile of dresses and underwear on the sofa. The bellboy approaches the sofa, and then the guest attacks him from behind and begins to choke him.

In the summer of 1909, disturbing news spread around St. Petersburg: a cruel killer was operating in the city, whose victims were beautiful young brunettes. The maniac did not rape or rob the victims, his only goal was reprisal.

The body of the first victim was found on July 1, 1909 in the Neva. The dark-haired girl was fully clothed and was identified the same day. On the wet “yellow ticket” – a kind of certificate of a prostitute that existed at that time – it was possible to make out the age and name of the deceased: 20-year-old Anna Blumentrost.

It turned out that the priestess of love did not drown, but was killed: an unknown person stabbed her more than ten times, the wounds on her face and neck were fatal. To hide the crime, the killer threw Anna’s body into the river near the Kalashnikovskaya embankment.

The investigation into the murder of Anna Blumentrost was taken over by the head of the detective police of St. Petersburg Vladimir Filippov . Police agents interviewed prostitutes who knew the victim and found out that Anna was looking for clients near the Horse Market.

The last man with whom Blumentrost left was especially distinguished by his clumsiness and unusual appearance: stooped, with disproportionately long arms, he was dressed in a black coat and a wide-brimmed hat that covered half of his face. According to prostitutes, the man wore a beard, shaved his mustache and looked like a huge monkey.

It was not possible to detain the criminal in hot pursuit, and the head of the detective police, Filippov, ordered that all such incidents be immediately reported to him. We didn’t have to wait long: two weeks later, the maniac dealt with the second victim.

Vadim the Bloodsucker

On the morning of July 15, at the Danube Hotel on Ligovsky Prospekt, in a room on the third floor, a bellboy found the body of a woman. Frequent visitors to the “Danube” were clients with prostitutes and couples in love who were looking for a place where they could spend the night alone, so the hotel enjoyed a dubious reputation.

On July 14, at about two in the morning, a young couple settled in the room. A cheerful dark-haired coquette, who was a regular guest of the Danube, called herself Ivanova, and her companion, who looked like an actor or artist, called Mishutin.

They took room number nine for one night with windows on Ligovsky and ordered wine and sweets from the bellhop.

At about eight o’clock in the morning, the bellhop who was washing the mirrors noticed how Mishutin in a black coat and a wide-brimmed hat through the half-open door affectionately said goodbye to his beloved: “Shut up, Arisha! What? Locked up? Well, goodbye! Sleep.”

The guest paid for the room and asked to wake up his girlfriend in an hour: “Don’t disturb her, let her sleep. And that way in an hour or two – wake me up. With these words, he left the hotel. At ten o’clock in the morning, the bellboy went to carry out an assignment, but instead of sleeping Arisha, he found the torn body of a brunette in a pool of blood in bed.

Already at 11:00 in the hotel there was a reporter from the capital’s newspaper, who was allowed to the scene of the crime for a fee by the bellhop

The news about the brutal crime quickly became one of the most discussed in St. Petersburg. The police found that the name of the victim was Ekaterina Gerus, she worked and lived near Znamenskaya Square.

The forensic doctor determined that the girl had died of strangulation. The maniac stabbed the victim more than twenty times, spattering the blanket, floor and tablecloth with blood, and then strangled the wounded prostitute, made sure that she was dead, and left the room.

At the same time, the money of the murdered woman – 2 rubles 80 kopecks – remained untouched.

Filippov came to the conclusion that the same person was behind the Blumentrost case and the murder in the Danube. A feature of these crimes was that the man did not have sexual relations with any of the victims. Soon, on suspicion of reprisals, a certain Fyodor Osokin, an acquaintance of Gerus, was detained – the bellhop said that the suspect looked like him.

The Beauties Death!

Ten days later, on July 24, while the police were trying to identify the criminal, he attacked the third victim – this time it was not a prostitute, but a young maid Zinaida Levina, who was returning from the market with purchases. An unknown person stabbed her in the shoulder and stomach with a cry of “Death to the beauties!” near the Nikolaevsky railway station.

Passers-by frightened the man in a coat and hat, and he fled into neighboring yards, leaving a wounded victim and a knife at the crime scene. As the examination showed, it was with this knife with a handle wrapped in canvas that prostitutes were killed.

Passers-by took the girl to the hospital – the wounds were not deep, the maid survived. The detectives noted: Zinaida did not engage in prostitution, but she was a pretty brunette. This meant that the maniac was preying on a certain type of woman.

And on July 25, in a brothel on Kolomenskaya, an unknown young man with a frightening appearance wished to spend time with the beautiful Clotilde. A few minutes later, loud screams were heard from Clotilde’s room, the guards of the brothel came running to the noise.

Frightened girl in tears said that the client attacked her and stabbed her several times

As it turned out, Clotilde heard about the murders of prostitutes and was ready to attack, that’s the only reason she managed to escape. However, the killer, who did not have time to finish what he started, escaped by jumping out of the window.

The head of the detective police, Filippov, drew attention to the fact that all the attacks were united by the absence of sexual overtones, the color of the hair and the gender of the victims, as well as the fact that they were all committed near Znamenskaya Square. At the same time, the motive of the unknown remained a mystery.

Money taken for the labor of sending to the next world

On the evening of September 17, together with the prostitute Maria Budochnikova, a tall client with a skipper’s beard entered the hotel “Kyao”. Corridor Yakov Kazenov, who heard about the maniac, the young man, who introduced himself as Vladimir Sokolov, seemed suspicious – and in the morning they really came together in a fight (this was discussed at the beginning of the article).

During the struggle, the bellhop managed to escape, ran to the window, broke the glass and began to call for help.

The number and the maid came running to the scream, together they detained the killer. He handed over the dagger and confessed that he had stabbed Budochnikov at about four o’clock in the morning.

The police officers who arrived at the scene found the naked body of the murdered woman on the couch, covered with her skirt, shirt and sofa cover. There were 35 stab wounds on the abdomen, chest and genitals of the victims.

A piece of note paper was found under the sofa, on which was written in block letters: “Death to the beauties. The money was taken for the labor of sending them to the next world and because the dead do not need them. The killer of this woman and Ekaterina Gerus in the Danube Hotel is myself, Vadim Krovyanik. September 17″
“Petersburg newspaper”, No. 68 of March 10, 1912

For help in catching the criminal, bellboy Yakov Kazenov received a personal thanks from the mayor and 25 rubles. Fyodor Osokin, who had previously been arrested on suspicion of the murder of the prostitute Gerus, was released.

Let the detectives work hard

The detainee was interrogated by an official for special assignments and a warder under the supervision of the head of the detective Filippov. The young man immediately confessed to the murder of two girls – Gerus and Budochnikova, but refused to give his first and last name, introducing himself as Vadim Krovyanik.

I could tell you, but right now I have no desire to upset my parents. Let the detective police work hard
detained maniac

To establish the identity of the killer, Filippov sent detective police agents to all teahouses and taverns to interview owners, visitors and servants. From the sex in the institution “Privislensky Krai” detectives learned that there often came a man who introduced himself as Nikolay Nikolaevich.

He often behaved aggressively and unbalanced, telling his drinking companions that he hated women. Commenting on the murders of prostitutes, this man suggested that the police would never be able to find the culprit and that “the killer must have taken great pleasure in killing young girls.” He told his acquaintances that he used to serve in the merchant fleet, and now lives in Makonin’s rooming house not far from the tavern.

The visitors remembered that Nikolay Nikolaevich willingly liked to talk about the murder in the Danube and always pointedly emphasized: “But the killer is not Osokin at all.”

“Petersburg newspaper”, No. 68 of March 10, 1912

When the detective showed the visitors of the tea shop a photo of Vadim Krovyanik, one of them shouted: “It’s him, Nikolay Nikolaevich!” In a conversation with this visitor, the agent even managed to find out the address of the apartment where the suspect rented a room. Janitors and landlords also recognized their tenant from the photo and reported that this was Nikolay Vladimirovich Radkevich, a nobleman.

He will be a prophet

During the week, the detectives found out details about the identity of the killer. The future maniac was born in 1888 in Vladimir , his father was a county member of the Vladimir District Court.

The Radkevich family was respected in the city. Nikolay had several older brothers and sisters who received a solid education and held good positions.

“Petersburg newspaper”, No. 68 of March 10, 1912

As the killer’s mother recalled, as a child he was very religious, he often had “fabulous dreams.” At the same time, Nikolay did not speak until the age of four.

At the age of seven he began to have visions. Since we found him in a bath with an icon, where he prayed and said that he would be a great prophet

from a letter from the mother of Nikolay Radkevich

Newspaper “Petersburg leaflet” No. 69 dated March 10, 1912

The boy, unlike his brothers, did not study at the gymnasium, but at the Gorokhovets four-year school. There he first showed a propensity for violence.

During lessons in the classroom, Nikolay Radkevich caught flies, beheaded them with a thin plate from a penknife and watched how they wandered around the desk in this form
“Petersburg newspaper”, No. 259 of September 21, 1909

After graduating from college, his father sent Nikolay to the cadet corps, from where he was expelled seven months later due to an attack on a woman. According to one version, when Nikolay was 14 years old, he was seduced by a 30-year-old officer’s widow – a beautiful brunette. But soon Radkevich got tired of her, and she left him without any explanation.

A few weeks later, Nikolay learned that the widow had infected him with syphilis, after which he decided to kill her, and then himself. He took a knife and went to the park, where his former lover loved to walk. There he saw her with a new admirer. After waiting for the right moment, Radkevich attacked the widow and tried to stab her, but the woman’s companion, a naval officer, knocked the knife out of the young man’s hands, twisted it and reported the incident to the leadership of the cadet corps. As a result, Nikolay was expelled, and he had to forget about a military career. But Radkevich’s father made sure that the attack case was dismissed.

After this incident, the young man decided to take revenge on the dark-haired beauties. He believed that by killing them, he cleanses the world of lust and filth. True, at first Radkevich claimed that he attacked a woman in a park in order to steal money from her and leave for the Far East – he allegedly dreamed of traveling.

Young sailor

In 1906, Nikolay told his family that he had decided to become a sailor and was moving to the capital. In order to enter a nautical school, Radkevich acquired the necessary experience – he completed a four-month voyage on one of the sailing ships of the Baltic merchant fleet.

But in the nautical classes named after Emperor Peter I, Nikolay did not study for long, did not finish the school year, and in April 1907 he left the first class of his own free will.

From that time on, he began to lead an idle life: until the morning he spent time in dens, started romances in brothels on the Vyborg side, became a regular at taverns and tea houses, and, despite the fact that his parents sent him a lot of money to live, spent the night in the company of homeless vagrants on the outskirts of the city.

Meanwhile, Radkevich had relatives in St. Petersburg, some of them held good positions

For example, one of them was a clerk in the office of the State Duma . But Nikolay, despite the need, never turned to them for help.

A few months later, the young man moved to Riga and ended up on the Mstislav Udaly ship, where he became a stoker. Thus he managed to visit Denmark , Egypt and Turkey . In 1909, Radkevich left the service in the merchant fleet and returned to the capital.

“The Task Of My Life Is To Kill Brunettes”

During the interrogations, the detainee Radkevich calmly and with pleasure recalled how he committed the murders. It turned out that dozens of women could become victims of a maniac. When asked by the detective police agent Kasovets about how many times the criminal attacked the brunettes, he replied that there were about 30 attempts.

But in most cases, something interfered with his plans: sometimes he himself felt sorry for his victim, and sometimes, waiting for the prostitute to fall asleep, Radkevich fell asleep himself and woke up only when “when it was already inconvenient to kill.” In one case, when Nikolay showed a knife to a girl who had come with him to the Olympia Hotel, she hurried to leave him.

I usually met prostitutes on the street. Come up, talk, that’s you and acquaintances. And I chose beautiful girls
from the testimony of Nikolay Radkevich

The maniac remembered that he had met Ekaterina Gerus not far from Znamenskaya Square.

Do you want to know how I killed Gerus? She is a brunette – and I killed her. My mission in life is to kill brunettes. Have you noticed that this [Maria Budochnikova] is also a brunette?

from the conversation of the maniac Radkevich with the detective police agent Kasovets

After a short conversation, he took the girl to the “Danube” and waited until she fell asleep.

I began to choke her. At first she sighed, and then suddenly cried out loudly, drawlingly. I didn’t expect this. I stuck a knife under her shoulder blade, but she continued to scream. I threw the knife and grabbed her by the throat again, but she contrived and pulled away. There was a noise outside the door, and then I hit her with a knife so that she immediately fell silent.

from the testimony of Nikolay Radkevich

When the young man was asked to explain why he did it, he revealed the motive to the detective with a contemptuous smile.

You ask what is the purpose of such a heinous crime. If you please, I will tell you the goal. I experienced a terrible pleasure, inexpressible, drunk and enjoyed. You still won’t understand it
from the testimony of Nikolay Radkevich

He recalled with pleasure that for 15 minutes he listened to how “the dying Gerus wheezed.” Absolutely calmly, Radkevich told the police the circumstances of the murder of his last victim. He met Maria Budochnikova in a tavern near the Anichkov Bridge – the maniac really liked her appearance.

The idea to kill a woman came to me in the afternoon. And I took this woman for the sole purpose of killing. As soon as he saw her, he simply trembled. Ah, such, such as I always thought! Black. The miniature neck is white, as if turned. Just like in a fever I go up to her, if only she didn’t leave!
from the testimony of Nikolay Radkevich

Radkevich agreed that he would pay Maria two rubles for intimacy, took a cab and drove to the hotel. Having settled in “Kyao”, the maniac waited until Maria fell asleep. Soon she dozed off on the couch, then he approached her and began to wake her up.

“Manka, look at me,” I say, it’s terribly so good myself. She opened her eyes and smiled. I put my left hand with my fingers right into her mouth and right into her soul. Woke up – she’s already lifeless

from the testimony of Nikolay Radkevich

Having strangled the victim, he took out a dagger and began to prick her body, but this occupation did not bring him satisfaction.

The corpse had already begun to cool, and this no longer gave such pleasure, since little blood was shown. The blood remained only on my knife. I washed the knife in the basin
from the testimony of Nikolay Radkevich

Then the killer covered the body of the victim with a sofa cover – because, in his words, “she became very ugly.” Tired and having slept for two hours in the room, he tried to hide, but the bellboy stopped him.

Despite the fact that Radkevich did not enter into intimate relations with the victims, in his free time he often indulged in debauchery. He was evicted from furnished rooms on Sadovaya Street precisely because he interfered with other residents with “wild carousing and cynical acts.”

In the end, the owners of the furnishings could not bear such orgies, in which many prostitutes took part, and evicted Radkevich from the apartment. On September 12, the killer left the apartment and was no longer registered anywhere, wandering from one numbered hotel to another, accompanied by “jolly” women

“Petersburg leaflet” No. 69 of March 10, 1912

On The Border Between Insanity And Normality

Radkevich was placed in the psychiatric hospital of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, as the detectives had doubts about the adequacy of the accused. Doctors and lawyers tried to figure out where to send the killer – to hard labor or to a lunatic asylum.

Radkevich treats everything around him consciously. He answers questions with a contemptuous smile. Says he’s writing a fiction essay for the press. Often reads books. He talks with pleasure about the moment of the murder, dwelling in particular detail on the fact that his victim was a woman. Since childhood, he had a passion for killing women.

from the bulletin on the state of health of Nikolay Radkevich, issued by the doctors of the hospital of Nikolay the Wonderworker

Prominent doctors argued about whether Radkevich should be considered a madman or a sadist. It was important to understand whether he would not pose a danger to other convicts.

Radkevich’s case was studied by seven psychiatric experts. One of them, Dr. Finkelstein, said that the criminal did not repent of his deed.

Radkevich stands on the borderline between insanity and normality. There are a lot of such people, and they cannot be considered crazy. He had a definite idea, like Raskolnikov, to destroy a harmful person
from the speech of psychiatrist Lev Finkelstein at the trial

Two of his colleagues, Dr. Karpinsky and Professor Rosenberg, on the contrary, considered Radkevich crazy, “a serious degenerate.” They also tried to determine the state of the maniac during the administrative session of the district court. Radkevich himself said that he considers himself perfectly healthy.

As a result, most psychiatrists also recognized the defendant as mentally healthy, “although suffering from manifestations of mental degeneration.”

“The imperfection of human nature is to blame”

Despite the fact that Radkevich was caught in the autumn of 1909, he began to judge only on March 10, 1912, he spent more than two years under arrest. All this time, the police tried in vain to find evidence confirming the involvement of a maniac in serial murders.

As a result, the maniac appeared before the court only on charges of murdering Maria Budochnikova and attempted murder of Yakov Kazenov. The prosecution insisted that Radkevich was not insane, while the defense tried to prove that the defendant did not realize what he was doing.

I am convinced that we are facing an exceptional criminal, and not a mentally ill person.
from the speech of the prosecutor Strelbitsky

The defendant himself in the last word asked the jury not to send him to a lunatic asylum, saying that for him it would be tantamount to suicide. Radkevich added that he does not feel guilty that he was born a “degenerate” and felt the need to crack down on women.

I caused a lot of grief to my parents. Nature has given rise to instincts pushing to crime. I am not to blame for the crime, but the imperfection of human nature. If we assume that I face a life sentence among the lunatics, then what kind of life will that be? I don’t want the middle. Either hard labor, or freedom, otherwise – death by one’s own hands

from the last word of Nikolay Radkevich

The jury found Nikolay Radkevich guilty of the murder of Maria Budochnikova and did not agree that the convict was insane. The detectives failed to prove the rest of the murders and assassinations due to a lack of direct evidence – the confessions of the accused were not enough for this.

As a result, Radkevich was sentenced to eight years of hard labor. Usually, 12 years were given for such crimes, but at the request of the prosecutor, the term was reduced by a third, since at the time of the murder Nikolay had not reached full age (21 years). Despite a mild sentence, the maniac never went free: in 1916 he was killed by criminals at the stage.