Viktor Selikhov

Viktor Mikhailovich Selikhov (; 1935 – 1965), known as The Naked Demon, was a Soviet serial killer and rapist who, between 1962 and 1964, attacked numerous young girls and women in the Kirghiz SSR's Chuy Region, raping at least 10 and killing 3 of his victims. Noted for his peculiar appearance while committing the crimes (barefoot, shirtless and wearing a wreath on his head), he was arrested, convicted and subsequently executed in 1965.

Biography Little is known about Selikhov's upbringing. Born in the Kirghiz SSR's capital, he lived in a small house on the outskirts and was described as a polite young man by his neighbors, who never drank or engaged in hooliganistic activities, and was a decent accordion player. He worked at a local factory, the 8th Motor Depot, where he was considered amiable by colleagues. In response, the police chief in charge of the investigation, I. Skorin, was pressured to allocate all resources to solving the case, with Skorin using all of his manpower and 300 druzhinniks to help with the capture, but to no avail. On June 1, Selikhov struck again, attacking nurse Rimma Pryadkina near a brick factory late at night. However, he was discovered while undressing the victim, and subsequently fled.

In a desperate attempt to capture their murderer, operatives of both sexes were disguised as couples and patrolled the parks around Frunze and Alamüdün. When it became clear that the offender was aware of their plan, since no attacks had taken place, the plan was dropped. On June 15, the final attack was reported: a young married couple had been attacked just outside Leninsky. Both of them had been hit from behind with a blunt object, with the husband, Yuri Perepyolkin, surviving, but his wife was dragged away, raped and then strangled in a nearby field. After killing Mrs. Perepyolkin, her killer stole two watches. Not long after, the killer tried to strike again, attacking a trio of druzhinniks, knocking out one of the men, but was warded off by the second, Nikolai Romanenko. While fleeing, the "demon" dropped his axe, which would later be used to track him down.

Capture, sentence and execution After getting a hold of the axe, the investigators showed the weapon to the local villagers, with one of them recognizing it as Selikhov's. However, Selikhov claimed that he had given it to some relatives, who needed it for construction work at their house. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that the interviewed villager's nephew, Viktor Selikhov, often left the village at night without telling anyone where he went. Operatives were dispatched to arrest him, but Selikhov slipped away before he could get caught. While searching through his home, authorities found eight women's watches, as well as numerous women's clothing and accessories which belonged to the elusive killer's victims. A few days after his identification, he was arrested at a local market, where he was examining some of the new axes that had just arrived.

During his interrogation, Selikhov confessed almost immediately to all of the crimes. During the subsequent psychiatric evaluation, Selikhov was recognized as sane, and put on trial on charges of 3 murders, 10 rapes and 17 attempted rapes. He was convicted on all counts and sentenced to death, an after an unsuccessful appeal, he was executed the following year.