Alexander Koryakov

Background

Alexander Koryakov lived in a small town called Gulbene, about 120 miles east of Riga, the capital of Latvia. His age had been given as both 19 and 21 in the papers.

Koryakov was described as being obsessed with Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo. After his arrest, he told police that he wanted to become as famous as Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo.

Koryakov studied materials about Chikatilo.

The offence

Alexander Koryakov entered a kindergarten in Gulbene during nap time. He slipped into the kindergarten room while the children were napping.

Koryakov approached a group of girls described as all Russian speaking and attacked them with meat cleavers. A teacher came running to aid the children. The teacher jumped in between Koryakov and the children and was killed during the attack.

School nurses also jumped in. A nurse at the school was badly injured in the attack, but survived.

Investigation

Police checked out the kindergarten after Koryakov’s arrest and found three girls dead. Police questioned Alexander Koryakov, who told them his plans.

Koryakov told police that the kindergarten massacre was going to be the first of many murders and that it would begin a spree intended to end with him claiming more victims than Chikatilo. He also told police that he had been planning the murders for over a year and that he had even thought about killing his family as practice for the main event.

Arrest

Alexander Koryakov was arrested as he tried to flee the area. He ran straight into the police’s arms.

Trial

Alexander Koryakov was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 1999.

Outcome

Three girls were killed in the kindergarten in Gulbene. The girls’ ages were given as either 3 or 4 in one account, and as 4, 5 and 6 in another account.

The teacher was identified as Anzhelika Zhvigure, aged 32, and she was killed when she tried to stop the massacre.

A nurse was injured in the attack and survived.

Aftermath

Guntis Ulmanis, the Latvian President, said on national TV that the murders were one of the worst acts of violence in their country in recent years. He said that new security measures for schools should be considered.

Police Chief Gunars Betlers was quoted by the daily Diena as saying that Koryakov had carefully studied all available materials on “murders carried out by the Russian criminal Chikatilo.”

Timeline

• February 21, 1999 — Koryakov entered the kindergarten during nap time; the attack occurred (some accounts gave either February 21 or February 22).
• February 22, 1999 — Koryakov entered the kindergarten during nap time; the attack occurred (some accounts gave either February 21 or February 22).
• February 23, 1999 — Coverage stated that three children and a teacher were hacked to death with a meat cleaver in a kindergarten in Gulbene.
• February 24, 1999 — Coverage stated that Koryakov confessed to police and said he wanted to become as famous as Andrei Chikatilo.
• December 1999 — Koryakov was sentenced to life imprisonment.