Roman Vladimirovich Burtsev (Russian: Рома́н Влади́мирович Бу́рцев; 13 April 1971 – 26 October 2024), known as The Chikatilo of Kamensk (Russian: Каменский Чикатило), was a Russian serial killer and child sex offender. Between 1993 and 1996, he raped and strangled six young children: five girls and one of the victims' brother. He committed all of the crimes in his hometown.[2]
Roman Burtsev | |
|---|---|
Роман Бурцев | |
 | |
| Born | Roman Vladimirovich Burtsev 13 April 1971 |
| Died | 26 October 2024 (aged 53) |
| Other names | "The Chikatilo of Kamensk"[1] |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death; commuted to life imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Victims | 6 |
Span of crimes | 1993–1996 |
| Country | Russia |
| State(s) | Rostov |
Date apprehended | 17 July 1996 |
| Imprisoned at | White Swan Prison |
Modus operandi
editBurtsev differed from similar murderers, in that he carefully hid the victims' bodies. All bodies, except one, were found only after his arrest. Following psychiatric assessment, he was declared competent to stand trial, with psychiatrist Alexander Bukhanovsky calling him one of the most well-organized murderers he ever had to deal with.[3]
The first murders
editRoman Burtsev committed his first double murder on 15 September 1993, his victims being siblings 12-year-old Yevgeny Churilov and 7-year-old Olesya Churilova.[1] The perpetrator met the children near a dump in the Zavodsky settlement. He wanted to rape the girl and, to get rid of the superfluous observer, killed Churilov, inflicting three blows to the boy's head with his fists and three more with a metal plate. Then he raped and strangled the girl, leaving the children's corpses in a garbage pit.
Victims
edit- 15 September 1993 — Yevgeny Churilov (12) and Olesya Churilova (7).
- 17 July 1994 — Marina Alexeyeva (12)
- 23 May 1995 — Anya Kulinkina (9). He seized the girl by force, raping and then killing her on the bank of the Donets.
- 1 July 1996 — Ira Ternovskaya (9)
- 16 July 1996 — Natasha Kirbabina (12)
Personality
editBurtsev was born on 13 April 1971, in a family with a history of alcohol and domestic abuse. He was an introvert and did not stand out from other children. He later explained the rape of children by the desire to "try virginity", and the murders as the unwillingness to be discovered.
Arrest, trial and sentence
editIt was the desire to hide his crimes that drove Burtsev. After one of the crimes, he asked an elderly woman who lived nearby for a spade, with which he buried the corpse and then threw it away. Subsequently, the woman described in detail the appearance of the suspicious person. It was mentioned that a girl, whom Burtsev did not manage to drag away, helped catch the criminal.[4]
Burtsev confessed to everything immediately after his arrest. The court sentenced him to death, which was later replaced by life imprisonment. He carried out his sentence in the White Swan prison (in Solikamsk, Perm Krai). Burtsev wrote letters to the "Russian Birch" Foundation, where he asked for help with medicines, because the local MCH did not always have the necessary drugs, and when they did the number of them was limited. He wrote that he had several medical conditions, including hemorrhoids, prostatitis, avitaminosis, varicose veins and nail fungus.[5]
Death
editBurtsev died from cancer at the White Swan prison hospital on 26 October 2024, at the age of 53.[6]
In the media
edit- The episode "Triangle of Death" from the series Unexplained, But Fact (2005)
- Dashing Nineties in "The Heirs of Chikatilo" (2007)
- The Moment of Truth (3 December 2012)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Диана Калоева (13 April 2024). "Каменский «Чикатило». Что стало с душившим девочек Романом Бурцевым" (in Russian). Аргументы и факты.
- ^ Фонд «Русская Берёза». Наши подопечные — Бурцев Роман Владимирович
- ^ "Я знал, что он маньяк ещё до того, как он начал убивать". Комсомольская правда-на-Дону. 13 November 2003. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012.
- ^ Ростов — родина маньяков? Статья в Российской газете.
- ^ Фонд «Русская Береза» (in Russian)
- ^ "Серийный убийца-педофил Роман Бурцев из Ростовской области скончался в тюремной больнице". Privet-Rostov. 26 October 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.