One of the most gruesome serial killers of all time was Andrei Chikatilo. He was born on October 16, 1936 in Yablochnoye, a Ukrainian farming village. One of his clearest memories of his youth was that of his mother telling him his older brother had been stolen and eaten by neighbors during a great famine. This thought remained with him always and he later disclosed he often imagined the torturous ending his brother must have had.At the start of World War II, his father was sent away, captured by Germans, and didnt return until the wars end.As a child, Chikatilo spent most of his time reading books about the Russian partisans fighting Germans. He particularly enjoyed books about Russians who dragged Germans into the woods and tortured them. He was a chronic bed wetter and his somewhat effeminate demeanor made him a constant target of teasing. He was extremely near sighted but refused to wear glasses for the fear of being teased further. As a teen, he grew tall and strong and most of the teasing stopped. He became the editor of the school newspaper and had a prestigious role as the political information officer. He was known as an ardent reader with a great memory. He became very involved in politics but had no social skills and no friends. He had an especially hard time trying to relate to girls.As he matured, he became more confident with women. However, his inability to achieve an erection foiled several early attempts at sex. He discovered that fear and violence excited him more than sex itself when he was eighteen years old. He was attempting to have sex with a woman who was uninterested. When she struggled, Chikatilo overpowered her but released her when he discovered he had ejaculated in his pants.In 1963, Chikatilo was married to Fayina, a friend of his sisters. Although his wife realized her new husband was not interested in sex, she did manage to get two kids out of him, Lyudmilla, born in 1965 and Yuri in 196...
