Editing Andrei Chikatilo (section)

==Trial==
[[File:Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo Trial 1992.jpg|170px|thumb|Chikatilo, pictured at his trial in April 1992]]

Chikatilo was brought to trial in Rostov on 14 April 1992, charged with fifty-three counts of murder in addition to five charges of sexual assault against minors committed when he had been a teacher.{{sfn|Conradi|1992|p=229}} He was tried in Courtroom Number 5 of the Rostov Provincial Court, before Judge Leonid Akubzhanov.{{sfn|Mariner|1992|p=243}}

Chikatilo's trial was the first major media event of [[History of Russia (1991–present)|post-Soviet Russia]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Goldberg|first=Carey|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-04-28-mn-966-story.html|title=Andrei Chikatilo Looks Like a Harmless Schoolteacher. But 53 Murders Make Him the Most Horrible Serial Killer Russia - Perhaps the World - Has Ever Seen|newspaper=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|date=28 April 1992|access-date=15 January 2022}}</ref> Shortly after his psychiatric evaluation at the Serbsky Institute, investigators had conducted a press conference in which a full list of Chikatilo's crimes was released to the press, alongside a 1984 [[Facial composite|identikit]] of the individual charged, but not the full name or a photograph of the accused. The media first saw Chikatilo on the first day of his trial, as he entered an iron cage specifically constructed in a corner of the courtroom to protect him from attack by the enraged and hysterical relatives of his victims.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sloane|first=Wendy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qLReAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2&article_id=4005,3948070|title=Russian Convicted of 52 Murders|agency=[[Associated Press]]|newspaper=[[Lewiston Morning Tribune]]|date=15 October 1992|access-date=20 September 2023}}</ref> In the opening weeks of the trial, the Russian press regularly published exaggerated and often sensationalistic headlines about the murders, referring to Chikatilo being a "cannibal" or a "maniac" and to him physically resembling a shaven-skulled, demonic individual.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Ashenden|first=Robin |title=Russia's 'Red Ripper' Andrei Chikatilo was a Uniquely Soviet Serial Killer |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/russias-red-ripper-andrei-chikatilo-was-a-uniquely-soviet-serial-killer/ |date=11 February 2024|access-date=15 November 2024 |magazine=[[The Spectator]] |language=en-UK}}</ref>{{refn|group=n|As a standard prison procedure to prevent the spread of lice, Chikatilo's head had been shaved.{{sfn|Conradi|1992|p=230}}}}

The first two days of the trial were devoted to Akubzhanov reading the long lists of indictments against Chikatilo. Each murder was discussed individually, and on several occasions, relatives present in the courtroom broke down in tears or fainted when details of their relatives' murders were revealed.{{sfn|Conradi|1992|p=231}} After reading the indictment, Akubzhanov announced to the journalists present in the courtroom his intention to conduct an [[public trial|open trial]], stating: "Let this trial at least teach us something, so that this will never happen anytime or anywhere again."{{sfn|Krivich|1993|p=268}} Akubzhanov then asked Chikatilo to stand, identify himself and provide his date and location of birth. Chikatilo complied, although this would prove to be one of the few civil exchanges between the judge and Chikatilo.{{sfn|Cullen|1994|p=238}}

Chikatilo was initially questioned in detail about each charge upon the indictment. Responding to specific questions regarding the murders, he often gave dismissive replies to questions, particularly when questioned as to the specific nature of the wounds he had inflicted upon his victims and the ruses he had used to entice his victims to the locations where he had killed them. He would become indignant only when accused of stealing personal possessions from the victims, or to his retaining organs excised from the victims missing from the crime scenes. On one occasion, when asked as to his seeming indifference as to the lifestyle and gender of those whom he had killed, Chikatilo replied: "I did not need to look for them. Every step I took, they were there."{{sfn|Conradi|1992|pp=230–231}}{{refn|group=n|In a 1993 interview granted to a ''[[Newsweek]]'' reporter who had been based in the Soviet Union, Chikatilo would expound on this statement by claiming: "It was all a matter of chance. Of who was riding or walking near me. Or at the station."{{sfn|Cullen|1994|p=269}}}}

In what became a regular (though not continuous) occurrence throughout the trial, Akubzhanov berated Chikatilo as he questioned him in detail as to the charges; ordering him to "shut your mouth", before adding, "You're not crazy!" as Chikatilo's responses to questions deviated into his discussing issues such as the repression his family had endured throughout his childhood, and his claiming that the charges filed against him were false. These verbal exchanges would occur whether Chikatilo was cooperative or uncooperative throughout proceedings, and the manner in which the judge questioned Chikatilo repeatedly led his defence lawyer Marat Khabibulin to protest against the accusatory nature of the court proceedings. In the instances in which Chikatilo was uncooperative throughout questioning, he would simply shout over the judge, denounce the court as a farce, and launch into rambling, disjointed speeches. On occasion, Chikatilo would also expose himself to the court or sing [[socialist]] movement anthems throughout proceedings. These antics regularly resulted in his being returned to his cell as court proceedings continued in his absence.{{sfn|Krivich|1993|p=277}}

On 21 April, Chikatilo's defence lawyer requested that Bukhanovsky be allowed to testify as to the contents of the 1985 psychological profile he had written, and his subsequent consultations with Chikatilo following his arrest, adding that Bukhanovsky could exert influence over Chikatilo and, by extension, might influence the court proceedings.{{sfn|Krivich|1993|p=271}} This request was denied. The same day, Chikatilo began to refuse to answer any questions from the judge, the prosecutor or his defence lawyer.{{sfn|Conradi|1992|p=234}} He refused to answer any questions for three consecutive days{{sfn|Krivich|1993|p=271}} before stating his presumption of innocence had been irredeemably violated by the judge and that he intended to give no further testimony.{{sfn|Lourie|1993|p=264}} The following day, proceedings were adjourned for two weeks.

Chikatilo withdrew his confessions to six of the killings for which he had been charged on 13 May,{{sfn|Cullen|1994|p=243}} and also claimed he had killed four further victims who were not included upon the indictment. The same day, Khabibulin again submitted a request that his client be subjected to a second psychiatric evaluation. This motion was dismissed by the judge as being groundless. In response, Khabibulin rose from his seat, condemning the composition of the court, and arguing that the judge was unfit to continue presiding over the case. Chikatilo himself repeated his earlier remarks as to the judge making numerous rash remarks prejudging his guilt. The prosecutor, Nikolai Gerasimenko, vocally supported the defence's claim, stating that the judge had indeed made too many such comments and had committed numerous procedural violations in his lecturing and insulting the defendant.{{sfn|Conradi|1992|p=236}} Gerasimenko further contended that in his conducting an open trial, Chikatilo had already been effectively prejudged as being guilty by the press,{{sfn|Krivich|1993|p=273}} before also requesting that the judge be replaced.{{sfn|Krivich|1993|p=274}} Judge Akubzhanov would later rule that the prosecutor be replaced instead, briefly conducting the trial in the absence of a prosecutor until a replacement prosecutor, Anatoly Zadorozhny, could be found.{{sfn|Cullen|1994|p=239}}

On 3 July, Bukhanovsky was permitted to testify as to his analysis of Chikatilo, although solely in the capacity of a witness. For three hours, Bukhanovsky testified as to his 1985 psychological profile of Chikatilo, and of the conversations he had held with Chikatilo following his arrest, which had culminated in his confession. Four psychiatric experts from the Serbsky Institute also testified as to the results of a [[Behaviorism|behavioural analysis]] they had conducted on Chikatilo in May, following the initial adjournment of the trial. All testified as to his courtroom behaviour being strikingly in contrast to his behaviour in his cell, and that they considered his antics to be a calculated attempt to obtain acquittal on the grounds of insanity.{{sfn|Conradi|1992|pp=240–241}}

===Closing arguments and conviction===
On 9 August, the defence delivered their closing arguments before the judge. Upon beginning his 90-minute closing argument, Khabibulin first stated he had no confidence his voice would be heard above the "general outcry" for retribution against Chikatilo, before questioning the reliability of the [[forensic evidence]] presented at the trial and describing areas of Chikatilo's confessions as being "baseless". He also questioned the judge's objectivity and harked back to the decision of the court not to allow the defence to present testimony from independent psychiatrists; emphasizing that crimes of this nature could not have been committed by an individual of sane mind. Khabibulin then formally requested the judge find his client not guilty.{{sfn|Cullen|1994|p=246}}

The following day, prosecutor Anatoly Zadorozhny delivered his closing argument before the judge. Harking towards the earlier testimony of psychiatrists at the trial, Zadorozhny argued that Chikatilo fully understood the criminality of his actions, was able to resist his homicidal impulses, and had made numerous conscious efforts to avoid detection. Moreover, Zadorozhny emphasized that in 19 of the charges, the material evidence of the crimes had been provided by Chikatilo himself. Zadorozhny then recited each of the charges before formally requesting the death penalty.{{refn|group=n|Chikatilo was not present in the courtroom throughout the prosecutor's closing argument, having again interrupted court proceedings.}}

Following the conclusion of the prosecutor's closing argument, Akubzhanov invited Chikatilo back into the courtroom before formally asking him whether he would like to make a final statement on his own behalf. In response, Chikatilo simply sat mute.{{sfn|Conradi|1992|p=241}} Akubzhanov then announced an initial date of 15 September for himself and the two official jurors to review the evidence and pass the final sentence upon Chikatilo.{{sfn|Conradi|1992|p=242}} (This date was later postponed until 14 October.){{sfn|Cullen|1994|p=248}} As court announced recess, the older brother of Lyudmila Alekseyeva, a 17-year-old girl killed by Chikatilo in August 1984, threw a heavy chunk of metal at Chikatilo, hitting him in the chest.{{sfn|Conradi|1992|p=241}} When security tried to arrest the young man, other victims' relatives shielded him.{{sfn|Cavendish|1996|p=36}}

On 14 October, the court reconvened to hear formal sentencing (this sentencing would not finish until the following day). Akubzhanov began sentencing by announcing Chikatilo guilty of fifty-two of the fifty-three murders for which he had been tried.<ref>{{cite news|first=Peter|last=Conradi|url=http://old.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/tmt/218388.html|title=A Short Path to Murder|access-date=28 September 2018|newspaper=[[The Moscow Times]]|publisher=Moscow Times LLC|date=26 May 1993|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929075945/http://old.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/tmt/218388.html|archive-date=29 September 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> He was sentenced to death for each offence.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/127225651|title=Russian Rape Figures up Sixteen Per Cent in Post-Soviet Russia|newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]]|date=12 August 1993|access-date=9 February 2022}}</ref> Chikatilo was also found guilty of five counts of sexual assault committed during the years he worked as a teacher in the 1970s. In reciting his findings, the judge read the list of murders again, before criticizing both the police and the prosecutor's department for various mistakes in the investigation which had allowed Chikatilo to remain free until 1990.{{sfn|Conradi|1992|pp=244–248}} Particular criticism was directed towards not local police, but the prosecutor's department—primarily procurator Issa Kostoyev—whom Akubzhanov scathed as "negligent", and who had been dismissive of Chikatilo's inclusion upon a 1987 suspect list compiled by police. Akubzhanov also rejected the numerous claims Kostoyev had made to the media in the months prior to the trial that police had deliberately withheld documents pertaining to Chikatilo from the prosecutor's department as being provably baseless, adding that proof existed he had been in possession of all internal bulletins.{{sfn|Conradi|1992|p=247}}{{refn|group=n|Akubzhanov would subsequently write to both the Public Prosecutor of Russia and the Ministry of the Interior, urging both bodies to adopt sufficient measures in order to prevent a repetition of such negligence and incompetence by the prosecutor's department.{{sfn|Conradi|1992|pp=246–247}}}}

On 15 October, Akubzhanov formally sentenced Chikatilo to death plus eighty-six years' imprisonment for the fifty-two murders and five counts of sexual assault for which he had been found guilty. Chikatilo kicked his bench across his cage when he heard the verdict and began shouting abuse.<ref>{{cite news|first=Wendy|last=Sloane|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=886&dat=19921015&id=rrE0AAAAIBAJ&pg=4816,1957003&hl=en/|title=Soviet Serial Killer is Sentenced to Life Term|newspaper=[[The Prescott Courier]]|publisher=[[Western Newspapers]]|date=15 October 1992|access-date=18 July 2016}}</ref> However, when given an opportunity to make a speech in response to the verdict, he again remained silent.{{sfn|Conradi|1992|p=249}} Upon passing the final sentence, Akubzhanov made the following remark:
{{blockquote|Taking into consideration the horrible misdeeds of which he is guilty, this court has no alternative but to impose the only sentence that he deserves. I therefore sentence him to death.}}
Chikatilo was taken from the courtroom to his cell at Novocherkassk prison to await execution. He did lodge an appeal against his conviction with the [[Supreme Court of Russia]], but this appeal was rejected in the summer of 1993.{{sfn|Cullen|1994|p=259}}{{refn|group=n|The decision of the Russian Supreme Court at this appeal was that Chikatilo's guilt of nine of the 52 murders—those of Zakotnova, Tkachenko, Pozhidaev, Stalmachenok, Shalapinina, Tsana, Bilovetsky, Voronko and Kravchenko—was not sufficiently proven. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court found Chikatilo's conviction for the remaining forty-three murders sufficient, and upheld his death sentence.<ref>[https://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D0%92%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%85%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE_%D0%A1%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B0_%D0%BF%D0%BE_%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%83_%D0%A7%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%BE Определение Верховного Суда по делу Чикатило]</ref>}}