Vasile Tcaciuc

Vasile Tcaciuc
Bornc. 1900
Bessarabia Governorate, Russian Empire
Died(1935-10-17)17 October 1935
Iași, Kingdom of Romania
Cause of deathShot by police
Other namesThe Butcher of Iași
MotiveRobbery
Criminal chargeMurder
Details
Victims21–26+
Span of crimes
1917–1935
CountryRomania

Vasile Tcaciuc (c. 1900 – 17 October 1935)[1] was a Romanian serial killer who lured victims and then murdered them with an axe that he specially constructed. He killed between 21 and 26 people from 1930 to 1935; the primary motive was robbery.[2][3]

Originally from Bessarabia,[2] Tcaciuc was known to the Iași police since around 1930,[3] and had been arrested and sent to prison on robbery and burglary charges.[4] On 7 September 1935, a dog found six bodies under his house in Iași. He confessed to having committed at least 21 murders at the behest of a 17-year-old girl, who then helped him bury the victims under the floors of several isolated houses and in a forest.[5] He was shot dead by a policeman while trying to escape during a reconstruction of one of his crimes.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ Hall, Susan (2021). The World Encyclopedia of Serial Killers, Volume Four T-Z. WildBlue Press. ISBN 978-1-952225-35-2. OCLC 1261364479.
  2. ^ a b Pena, Cătălin (19 December 2020). "Cum a reușit Măcelarul din Iași să scape nepedepsit pentru cele 26 de crime pe care le recunoscuse". Evenimentul Istoric (in Romanian). Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b Benea, Ionuț (17 May 2013). "Povestea "măcelarului din Iași", românul cu cele mai multe crime din istorie". Adevărul (in Romanian). Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Vasile Tcaciuc – Măcelarul din Iași". www.procuror.ro (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 15 June 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  5. ^ "Girl Is Held as Lure in the Murders of 21; Youth Arrested for Killings in Rumania Says She Had Influence of a Demon". The New York Times. 27 September 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 23 October 2022.