Free Republic

Alexander Pichushkin looks on from behind the glass of a security cage during the first day of his trial in Moscow, in this Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007, file photo. MOSCOW (AP) - A man accused of killing dozens of people and keeping count of them on a chessboard reveled in the memory of his first murder at his trial Tuesday, saying "it's like first love - it's unforgettable," news reports said. Alexander Pichushkin also insisted that prosecutors charge him with all the murders he has taken credit for, saying to do otherwise would be unfair, RIA-Novosti and Interfax reported. Pichushkin,...

MOSCOW — A man accused of killing dozens of people and keeping count of his victims on a chessboard lured most his victims by offering them vodka to mourn the death of a nonexistent dog, prosecutors said at his murder trial Friday. Alexander Pichushkin, 33, has confessed to killing at least 62 people, with the goal of marking all 64 squares on the chessboard. He has been charged with 49 murders, most committed over the course of five years in a sprawling park on the edge of Moscow. Pichushkin's lawyer Pavel Ivannikov said Friday that his client admitted all the...