Yuri Tsiuman
Yuri Leonidovich Tsiuman (born January 30, 1969 in Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, RSFSR), known as the "Black Tights Killer" ("Черноколготочник", transliteration "Chernokolgotochnik"), and "Night Guest", is a Soviet-Russian serial killer. All of his victims wore pantyhoses, which became known as the killer's "calling card."[1]
Yuri Tsiuman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Yuri Leonidovich Tsiuman January 30, 1969 |
| Other names | "The Night Guest" "Black Tights Killer" |
| Conviction(s) | Murder, rape |
| Criminal penalty | Death penalty; commuted to life imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Victims | 4-5 |
Span of crimes | 1986/1990–1991 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| State(s) | Rostov Oblast |
Date apprehended | November 26, 1992 |
| Imprisoned at | Black Dolphin Prison |
Biography
Tsiuman was born on January 30, 1969 in the city of Taganrog. He had a difficult childhood: his parents were chronic alcoholics who constantly beat him, and even threatened to kill him, something for which his father was repeatedly tried for. When his father became seriously ill and lay helplessly in one of the rooms, his mother began to bring in lovers and engaged in sex with them in front of her son.
During his childhood Yuri practically did not communicate with peers, but was considered a quiet and calm character, always sitting on the bench at the entrance at his grandmother's house. He was even instructed to roll children in wheelchairs around the yard.
As an adult, he was considered an intelligent person, but he had a passion for thriller films (for watching novelties he even specially provided himself with cable TV), was an alcoholic and had problems in dealing with the opposite sex.
The first murder was committed in 1986, attacking a girl on the night of December 24 to 25. At first, she resisted, but then suggested that the killer go to her home - in the hope that there was somebody there, but there was nobody. In the apartment, Tsiuman tied her up, then beat, raped and strangled her (or tried to strangle her). Before leaving, he robbed and set fire to the apartment. Information about the fate of Tsiuman's first victim differs: in one source it is said that the arson failed and the girl survived; in the other, that she died.
From 1987 to 1989 there were no murders, as he served in the army at the time.
In late June 1989, he committed a new attack on another girl and tried to rape her, but she managed to escape from the killer and run away.
Between 1990 and 1991, he raped and killed four girls in Taganrog (night from May 12 to 13, night from May 26 to 27, night from September 14 to 15, 1990 and June 2, 1991). As victims, he chose girls who wore black pantyhoses, which he left on the bodies of the strangled victims.
Yuri Tsiuman was not very cautious of his actions: on November 26, 1992 the killer was detained by random passers-by when attempting to commit a new murder. By this time the investigation had a lot of evidence against Tsiuman, including a blood group, hair samples and fingerprints.
On February 11, 1994, Tsiuman was sentenced to death for 4 murders, but since a moratorium was imposed on the death penalty, it was replaced with life imprisonment. He is currently in the Black Dolphin Prison in Sol-Iletsk.
In 2011, he unsuccessfully tried to challenge the replacement of the death penalty with life imprisonment in the Supreme Court of Russia, considering imprisonment as a deterioration of his position.[2]
In the media
- Episode "A look inside" from the series "Russian psychiatrist" (1996).
- Episode "The Triangle of Death" from the series "Unexplained, but fact" (2005).
- Episode "Dashing 90's" from the series "Chikatilo's Successors" (2007).
- "Hunting for maniacs" - Channel First (2008).
- Episode "Black Tights Killers" from the series "The investigation was conducted.." (2011).
- "Your bitch" - song by performer ZAMAI (2016).