Vasily Alexandrovich Smirnov (; 30 November 1947 – 1980), known as The Gatchina Psychopath (), was a Soviet serial killer, rapist, cannibal, brigand, robber, and arsonist. Biography Vasily Smirnov was the only child in the family. His father died early, and his mother indulged Smirnov in every possible way and said that he was the best, yet did not allow him to communicate with peers, go to dances or meet with girls. At the age of 18, he hit his mother on the head with a hammer and tried to rape her, but she did not let him. After serving in the army, he raped an elderly woman. For this, Smirnov was sent to prison, here he was raped by another inmate. While serving his sentence, his mother passed away. On 3 September 1979, on the bank of the Izhora River, the body of 8-year-old Marina Koshkina was found. She had been brutally murdered, and raped before her death. A nail was found hammered in her head. Smirnov had attacked and raped the victim, after which he demanded that she not tell her mother. The girl refused, and he then proceeded to murder her. The investigation into this case was very active, but they couldn't catch the killer. Soon the corpse of a small boy named Andrei Lopatin was found at the Silver Lake. He had been raped and then stabbed. Smirnov wanted to cut off a piece from the boy's body and use it for food, but a passing bicyclist frightened him off. Horrifying rumors of a vampire who has been drinking blood from children quickly arose in Gatchina. Smirnov did not always kill his victims, but the raped women did not report anything to the police because of shame. The next victim was an elderly woman, who was considered rich in the city. He tore off her head, then robbed and set her house on fire. After this, Smirnov went to Petergof, where he raped a pregnant girl who did not report it to the police. The fourth victim was Tatyana Emshova, a mother of two children and teacher, who had come to Gatchina for a seminar. The killer raped and then killed her. On the same day, a search was announced for the killer, and Smirnov went into hiding. At that moment, a woman who was raped by Smirnov contacted the police. The crime had occurred on