What happened
Alexander Pichushkin murdered people in and around Moscow, many near Bitsevsky Park, over a period that stretched from the 1990s into the 2000s.
The investigation
The investigation intensified after the disappearance of a woman who had left information indicating she planned to meet Pichushkin. Surveillance and other evidence then connected him to a much wider series.
What the courts or investigators concluded
He was convicted in 2007 of 48 murders and three attempted murders and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Why the case remains significant
The case became one of Russia’s most widely reported serial-murder prosecutions and highlighted the difficulty of connecting deaths involving socially isolated victims.
Case context
Crime by Region organizes cases geographically so readers can move from one file to other investigations from the same country. For unresolved or contested cases, the wording above reflects the distinction between confirmed events, investigative theories and findings actually established in court.