Sergey Shipilov (1959-?)
Sergey Aleksandrovich Shipilov, also known as the Velsk Chikatilo, is a Russian rapist and serial killer of at least 14 victims, most of which took place in the town of Velsk. Shipilov was born in 1959 in Arkhangelsk; his mother died when he was just 7. He claims his father then began bringing women and alcohol into their home. Shipilov joined the army after school, then married and had 3 children. He worked as a foreman in a vocational school teaching students to drive. As he was in good standing there, he was allowed to use the official car at his own discretion. Shipilov committed his first murder in 1995, when he robbed and killed a woman. In 1996, his series of rapes and murders began. While Shipilov was driving his truck, he picked up a traveller, who he claims agreed to have sex with him. Shipilov killed her, stabbing her repeatedly, so violently that the blade snapped in her body. Shipilov later confessed that he was worried the woman would come to his house and tell his wife about the betrayal. He buried the corpse near the Arkhangelsk’s brickworks. That year, he killed 2 more women the same way. Another woman was killed by a blow to the head. The victims’ bodies were buried in the Primorsky District and were only found after Shipilov was captured. In late 1996, he committed a rape, where the victim managed to escape. Shipilov was arrested as a result of this. In the trunk of his car a bead from the necklace of a victim was found. He was also found to have committed 8 more rapes in 1996. On January 16, 1997, the Primorsky District Court sentenced him to 8 years in prison in a general regime colony. He was not even suspected in the murders. While serving his life sentence, Shipilov said there was no rape – the woman agreed to have sex with him, and had only submitted a statement so she could “make money from it”.
In Colony UG-42/14 in Velsk, Shipilov was able to move freely within the walls. Sometimes, he was even able to leave the colony for administrative needs, and Shipilov immediately knew that he could use this to his advantage. In 1998, as a reward for good behaviour, he was allowed to drive the colony’s honeywagon. On December 8, 1998, Shipilov killed his 4thvictim, Doilnitsyna. He did not bury her body, but covered it with branches. After this, he was very afraid he would be caught. When he returned to the crime scene on his next trip out and found it undisturbed, he buried it and decided to continue committing murders. His next was on May 16, 1999. A week later, on May 24, Shipilov killed another woman, burying both bodies at the final point of his route – the dump. In June, Shipilov killed 4 more women, two were middle-aged and two were young girls. According to his confession after his arrest, “he was sorry for the young virgins”, so switched to killing only middle-aged women. In August, Shipilov hid again. He committed his last murdered between September 22 and 24. Each murder was carefully committed; he would pick women up on deserted roads, and since the inside passenger door handle was removed, they had no way to get out. He would offer the women vodka, and when they refused, he stopped in a deserted area and killed them. In one interview, Shipilov stated that he only killed women he considered to be prostitutes. He claimed that any woman who agreed to drink with him was allowed to leave, but later investigations found that he poured alcohol into his victims. Investigators noticed that Shipilov’s honeywagon often passed by on the road where women would disappear, and since his schedule coincided with all of the murders, he was arrested. Rather than talk to investigators, Shipilov cut his wrists, but was saved and subsequently confessed to 12 murders, including the 3 before his conviction for rape. On October 25, 2000, he was convicted of 12 murders and 9 rapes, and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
