25. Russian police enhanced interrogation led to the execution of an innocent man in 1983
In 1978, a nine-year-old girl was raped and murdered in the mining town of Shakhty, in the Soviet Socialist Republic of Russia. Police suspicion centered upon Aleksandr Kravchenko based upon his previous conviction for a similar crime. He committed this crime during his teenage years. Several witnesses supported Kravenchko’s alibi, placing him far from the scene of the crime. Russian police interrogated several of the witnesses individually. After the interrogation was completed, their memories of Kravchenko’s whereabouts changed. They charged him with murder. Soon after they tried, convicted, and executed him.
In 1994, Russian authorities executed a serial killer, Andrei Chikatilo. He became known as the Butcher of Rostov. Chikatilo committed the murders and mutilations of 52 women (some say 56, the number of killings he confessed) over a period of twelve years. One of his many victims, and the first documented by Russian authorities: nine-year-old Yakena Zakotnova. The very victim of the crime Kravchenko suffered execution for. They convicted Kravchenko based upon a confession and the testimony of witnesses. All of which were obtained by police using enhanced interrogation techniques. Both Kravchenko and Chikatilo were executed by the usual Russian method of shooting.
Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“The Sad Fate of Admiral Byng”. Chris Durbin, Naval History Magazine. August, 2019
“A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials”. Jess Blumberg, Smithsonian.com. October 23, 2007
“The Trial and Death of Socrates”. Freedom and Citizenship, Columbia University. Online
“The Campden Wonder”. Cotswolds,info. Online
“Broken on the Wheel”. Ken Armstrong, The Paris Review. March13, 2015
“The Hanging and Redemption of John Gordon”. Paul F. Caranci. 2013
“The Case of Sacco and Vanzetti”. Felix Frankfurter, The Atlantic. March, 1927
“Justice Story: The Happiest Man on Death Row”. Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News. April 28, 2019
“True Crime: Gun Alley Murder”. Video, Australian Broadcasting Company. ABC.net
“Did King Charles I Deserve To Be Executed?” Yesterday, UKTV. Online
“Leschi: Justice In Our Time”. Washington State History Museum. Online
“Woman allegedly ‘murdered’ reappears after ‘killer’ reappears”. Asia News. June 17, 2005. Online
“The Red Ripper: Inside the Mind of Russia’s Most Brutal Serial Killer”. Peter Conradi. 1992