Karol Kot

Karol Kot (18 December 1946 – 16 May 1968) was a Polish murderer who terrorized the city of Kraków between 1964 and 1966. Due to trial evidence and to the seemingly random choices of victims, which included children and elderly people, Kot was nicknamed the Vampire of Kraków . After the trial, in which Kot pleaded guilty to all the crimes with which he was charged, he was sentenced to death on 14 July 1967. After an appeal initially reduced his sentence to life in prison, his sentence was reinstated. Kot was hanged on 16 May 1968.

Early life Kot spent his whole life in Kraków. On 14 April 1966, he attacked an 8-year-old girl named 'Małgosia'. A search of his house revealed sixteen knives and an assortment of other weapons that belonged to him. whether he was aware of the notion of murder being a crime and an evil deed, Kot presented his moral standards. According to him, what determines the moral appropriateness of human actions is the fact that they bring an individual satisfaction and a sense of fulfilled duty; he, therefore, considered himself a murderer, but not an evil person.

Kot seemed unfazed by the fact that he would die, saying "The pleasure I felt when the knife was cleaving the meat… It’s impossible to describe the feeling. The experience is worth the gallows." It was also featured in episode 95 of Casefile True Crime Podcast in September 2018.

The song Roland by Interpol was loosely based on Kot.

Polish film The Red Spider based on the story of Karol Kot.