Today is Friday, April 9th, 2021.

On this day in 1974, prolific serial killer Alexander Pichuskin was born.

By the time he was 33 years old, he claimed to have killed 62 people.

Welcome to Today in True Crime, a Spotify original from Parcast. Due to the graphic nature of this case, listener discretion is advised.

This episode includes discussions of violence, rape, and

murder that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13.

Today we'll hear about the horrifying serial killings of Alexander Pichuskin, also known as the

chessboard killer. Let's go back to April 9, 1974, in Yatisha, a manufacturing sector just northeast of the city of Moscow.

At first, everything was normal for the young couple who welcomed little Alexander

Pichuskin into the world, but the joy and happiness that comes with being new parents

didn't last long for the Pichushkins. When Alexander was only one year old, his father abandoned

their family. The young mother did her best to raise her son

on her own, and he was a perfect child. Neighbors said that he was pleasant and kind and empathic

with animals, but fate had a cruel turn in mind for little Alexander. When Petushkin was only

four years old, he was enjoying himself at a local

playground. He might have been swinging too vigorously as the little boy fell backward off the

swing set. The seat and its chains came back fast and hit him in the forehead. The impact resulted in an injury to the frontal lobe of his brain.

Research has shown that damage of this type can lead to violence

and potential psychological conditions in those who suffer them.

After the injury, Alexander was never the same.

His personality changed, which led him to being bullied mercilessly in school.

Other students made fun of him and called him cruel names belittling his perceived diminished mental capacity.

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