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Anatoly Onoprienko

Anatoly Onoprienko (Анатолій Онопрієнко, born July 25, 1959 in Zhytomyr, Ukraine) is a Ukranian serial killer. He is also known by the nicknames "The Beast of Ukraine", "The Terminator" and "Citizen O". After police arrested the 37-year-old former forestry student on April 16, 1996, Onoprienko confessed to killing 52 people.

Crimes

Onoprienko was carrying a hunting rifle that matched the murder weapon in several of the killings and had jewellery and video equipment which may have belonged to some of his victims. While in custody he immediately confessed to eight killings between 1989 to 1995. At first, he denied other charges, but soon admitted to being the murderer of 52 victims in a six-year killing spree. While in custody, he claimed that his killing spree was commanded by inner voices he kept hearing.

Methods

The killings followed a set pattern. He chose an isolated house, shot everyone inside, including children, and lit the building on fire. He would also kill any witness unlucky enough to cross his path during his murderous rampages. The first to die were a family of four in Bratkovychi. Another family of five and two witnesses were killed not long after in the same village. When police imposed a security cordon around Bratkovychi, he then moved to other villages to continue killing.

Investigation

A manhunt was launched across Ukraine in March 1996, after eight families were brutally murdered in their homes. Most of the victims were in remote villages in the Lviv region near the border with Poland. There were so many killings in one village that army troops were sent to patrol the streets.

Capture and conviction

In March 1996, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Public Prosecutor's Office specialists detained 26-year-old Yury Mozola as a suspect of several brutal murders. Over the course of three days, six SBU members and one representative of Public Prosecutor's Office tortured (burning, electric shocking and beating) the arrested citizen. Mozola refused to confess to the crimes and died during the torture. Seven responsible for the death were sentenced to prison terms. Seventeen days later, the real murderer, Anatoly Onoprienko, was found after a massive manhunt, seven years after his first murder. This happened after he moved in with one of his relatives and his stash of weapons was discovered. Anatoly was quickly booted out of the house. Days later, from the information received, Anatoly was captured.

Onopriyenko murdered 43 victims in 6 months in 1995-1996. He was sentenced to death on March 31, 1999, but due to Ukraine's intention to join the European Union, the death sentence was commuted to life in prison.