Viktor Karamarkov

Viktor Karamarkov (born 1981), known as The Macedonian Raskolnikov, is a Macedonian serial killer who murdered four elderly women in the nation's capital from March to October 2009. Additionally responsible for numerous thefts and three attempted murders, he was sentenced to life imprisonment,[1] and is currently incarcerated in Kolonija Idrizovo.[2]

Viktor Karamarkov
Born	1981 (age 38–39) Skopje, SFR Yugoslavia
Other names	"The Macedonian Raskolnikov" "The Skopje serial killer"
Conviction(s)	Murder x4 Attempted murder x2
Criminal penalty	Life imprisonment
Details
Victims	4
Span of crimes	March–October 2009
Country	North Macedonia
State(s)	Skopje
Date apprehended	October 27, 2009
Imprisoned at	Kolonija Idrizovo

Early life

Born in the Gjorče Petrov neighborhood, Karamarkov grew up with his mentally unstable mother,[3] as his father had died when he was young. Although described as a loner, Viktor was regarded as a highly intelligent boy who finished his primary education with an excellent grade, and was very respectful of the elderly.[4] He was also heavily indulged in various Russian literature, especially Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, identifying himself with the novel's main character, impoverished ex-student Rodion Raskolnikov.[3] However, Karamarkov was also a known delinquent and drug addict, who frequently engaged in various thefts.[5]

Murders

Taking inspiration from his favorite book, Karamarkov would search for vulnerable old ladies to commit his murders. When he found a suitable victim, he would ring on the doorbell and ask them for money, on the pretence that it was for his ailing mother.[3] After entering the apartment, Viktor would take out a small axe wrapped in a newspaper and wrapped with tape, and subsequently kill the unsuspected victims, before robbing the apartment from gold jewelry in order to supply himself with more drugs.[1] After each killing, he would visit the "St. Peter and Paul" Church in Gjorče Petrov, and ask for forgiveness.[4]

Victims

• Ljubica Hristovska (83) - killed at her home in Butel, from a sustained head injury. When first investigated, police suspected that the killer was either from the family or the neighborhood, as there were no traces of violence, all items were in place and the door had been locked from the inside.[5]
• Bosilka Krasojevič (71) - killed on the same day as Bogoevska, October 15. Was attacked in her home on "October Revolution" Street, and later died from her sustained injuries. Authorities noted that this killing was very similar to Hristovska's murder.[5]
• Vera Bogoevska (76) - killed on the same day as Krasojevič, October 15. Was attacked in her home on "Franco Cluz" Street, and later died from her sustained injuries.[5]
• Elena Mileva (69) - killed on October 26, in her home on "Ho Chi Minh" Street. Karamarkov was arrested for theft shortly after her murder.[5]

Attempted murders

• Marija Atanasovska (79) - a resident of Kapishtec, Atanasovska was assaulted by Karamarkov in the elevator, sustaining head injuries. He was about to leave her to bleed out, but was surprised by the victim's son-in-law, who was waiting for her at the exit. Confused to see a young man exit first, he asked what happened to the old woman, seeing that there was blood inside. Viktor explained that she had injured herself, and helped the son-in-law get her out of there, before promptly fleeing the scene.[5]
• Smilja Petrovska (73) - attacked on the same day as Sulejmani, October 21. Fought off her attacker from her "Railway Street" home.[5]
• Sanie Sulejmani (42) - attacked on the same day as Petrovska, October 21. A hygienist,[1] Sulejmani managed to fight off Karamarkov from her home on Mavrovka Shopping Centre.[5]

Investigation, capture and sentence

Although initially they didn't suspect a serial killer on the prowl, authorities gradually connected the dots by the crimes' similarity: old women, killed in their apartments with a blunt object to the back of the head. It was also noticed that all victims had gold jewelry missing. They contacted the surviving victims, who described their attacker as a young man who rings from door to door with a health book in his hands, seeking financial help for his mother. However, they couldn't describe him in great detail, as he appeared average and very unassuming. On October 27, Karamarkov was captured and given a 8-month long sentence for theft, but was witnesses and relatives of the attacked women identified him as the attacker. While searching his home, authorities located the axe used in the murders.[5]

Shortly after his face was shown on national television, many women came to identify him as the man who had stolen their jewelry. One woman, identified only as K. M., said that ten days before his arrest, he forcibly pulled off her gold chain while she walking near the Ministry of Culture. Distressed, a young woman chased after the perpetrator, but he managed to slip away. Shocked, his mother refused to believe that her son is a cold-blooded killer.[5]

Although he didn't confess to the killings, Karamarkov mentioned details that only the perpetrator would know. During his final statement to the court, Karamarkov claimed that he had been drugged while making his statements, and that he had been taken for three days at an unknown location. In there, a picture of Josip Broz Tito was hung on the wall, and he had not been provided a lawyer. Despite this, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, much to the dismay of his lawyer Sasho Dukovski, who claimed that there was no sufficient evidence for the verdict.[1]

References

1. "Lifetime imprisonment for Viktor Karamarkov" (in Macedonian). Makfax. June 16, 2010.
2. "Viktor Karamarkov is suspected of four murders" (in Macedonian). Makfax. November 9, 2009.
3. "Skopje serial killer inspired by Dostoevsky". dir.bg (in Bulgarian). November 10, 2009.
4. "Fan of Raskolnikov butchered 4 women in Skopje". 24 Chasa (in Bulgarian). November 10, 2009.
5. Natasha Crvenkovska. "A Brief Story of the Macedonian Raskolnikov" (in Macedonian). Globus.