VITEBSK — 1971 · Serial Murder
The "Vitebsk Strangler" Case
Between 1971 and 1985, many women were killed around Vitebsk and Polotsk in the Vitebsk region of Soviet Belarus. At least 36 murders were officially attributed to the perpetrator, who confessed to 43. During the investigation 14 people were wrongly convicted of these killings, some of whom were executed, making the case one of the gravest miscarriages of justice in Soviet legal history. The perpetrator was identified through a handwriting comparison covering hundreds of thousands of documents, based on anonymous letters he had sent in the name of a fictitious organisation to mislead investigators, and was arrested on 9 December 1985. He was sentenced to death and executed on 25 September 1987.
- Date
- 1971
- Place
- Vitebsk Region, Belarus, Vitebsk, BY
- Category
- Serial Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 55.1900, 30.2000 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 1971The first killing took place in the Vitebsk region.
- 1970s–1980sFourteen people were wrongly convicted of the killings.
- 9 December 1985The perpetrator was identified by handwriting analysis and arrested.
- 25 September 1987He was executed.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Gennady Mikhasevich en.wikipedia.org ↗
- CryNews (Web Archive) — Mikhasevich dosyası web.archive.org ↗
- Wikipedia
- CryNews (archive)
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.