 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2009) |
Nighttime Killers | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vladislav Volkovich Volodymyr Kondratenko ca. 1967 |
| Died | Kondratenko: May 31, 1997 |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Other names | The Nighttime Killers |
| Criminal penalty | Volkovich: Life imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Victims | 16 |
Span of crimes | 1991–1996 |
| Country | Ukraine |
Date apprehended | 1996 |
The Nighttime Killers (Нічний Серійник) is the media epithet for the killers responsible for a string of brutal murders in Kyiv, Ukraine, between 1991 and 1996. Two men, Vladyslav Volkovich (Владислав Волкович) and Volodymyr Kondratenko (Володимир Кондратенко) were arrested and charged with 16 murders. Most victims were shot with a .22 sporting rifle and stabbed or bludgeoned with a wide variety of weapons ranging from stitching awls to bricks and iron bars. The killers claimed that they began the murder spree in order to prepare themselves for an eventual career as contract killers, practicing on the homeless, and continued killing for profit and for fun. Kondratenko killed himself in prison during the trial. Volkovich was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.