Casefile True Crime - Case 95: The Vampire of Krakow

Episode Date: September 8, 2018

In 1964, an unknown offender took to the streets of Krakow to stab elderly women in what appeared to be a string of senseless, unprovoked attacks. The victims had no connection to one another, nor were they robbed or sexually assaulted, leaving police with no obvious motive to go by. ---  Episode narrated by the Anonymous Host Episode researched by Paulina Szymanska and Mike Migas Episode written by Elsha McGill Additional writing by Milly Raso For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-95-the-vampire-of-krakow

Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. Today's episode contains violence against children and animals. It won't be suitable for all listeners. Tales of vampires have been found in nearly every culture around the world, dating back centuries. In 17th and 18th century Poland, belief in such legends was rife.

One of the earliest recorded and most well-documented cases of vampirism involved a peasant named Peter Blagojevich. His death in 1725 was followed by a spade of other sudden deaths. Within eight days, nine persons had perished. Whilst on their deathbeds, each victim alleged they had been visited by Peter, who had throttled them. Another reported story was that Peter visited his old home after his death, where he brutally murdered and drank the blood of his son. A second case the same year involved Arnold Parley, an ex-soldier who died after falling off a hay wagon and breaking his neck. Within weeks of Arnold's death, four people complained

of being plagued by him and those people died shortly thereafter. It was widely suspected both Peter and Arnold rose from the dead as vampires and were tormenting the countryside. Following these rumors, physicians and officers assumed the bodies of both Peter and Arnold to examine them. To their surprise, both men appeared undecomposed. Their hair and beard follicles had since grown, old skin peeled away revealing a fresher layer underneath, and dried blood framed their mouths. These peculiarities led physicians to conclude that the two men were indeed vampires, and their bodies were quickly burned. Reports were published in newspapers and distributed throughout Western Europe,

which were quickly translated and spread elsewhere, creating mass hysteria. Burial rituals were conducted, aimed to ward off evil and prevent vampires from awakening. Graves of suspected vampires were dug up. Sickles or cites were placed over the necks of corpses. Ensuring decapitation if the vampire attempted to rise. Feet were mutilated and legs were cut to further hinder the rising process. In some cases, heads were removed and placed between legs so the vampire couldn't reach it when they awoke. Tongues were pierced with spikes, and coins or crucifixes were placed in mouths to prevent biting.

Suspected vampires were buried on the isolated edges of cemeteries, deep into the ground, face down, so if they tried to dig themselves out, they would simply dig themselves further into the earth. The burial mound was then covered with rocks. Rumors of vampire sightings and attacks led to public executions. Professional vampire hunters traversed towns carrying kits, stables, and other weapons. Stocked with crucifixes, holy water, rope, mallets, and stakes. When word of the vampire epidemic reached Empress Maria Teresa, she sent her personal physician to investigate the claims.

Stories of the dead rising were quickly attributed to premature burials. Savage and bloodthirsty attacks were likely the result of persons suffering from rabies. Numerous localised deaths were merely coincidental, possibly due to the spread of disease. Signs of vampirism in corpses was linked to misinterpretation and ignorance of decomposition. The physician of Empress Maria Teresa concluded that vampires were not real. Following this revelation, the Empress passed laws prohibiting the opening of graves and desecration of bodies, marking the end of the vampire hysteria. Vampires returned to the status of horror folklore, with people accepting that such monsters never

have and never could exist. The 1960s were often called the Golden 60s throughout Western Europe and the USA. The decade ushered a time of counterculture and social revolution, breaking down the conformity and order established during the 1950s. Social taboos were relaxed, as were formalities about clothing, schooling, music, drugs, and sexuality. By the end of the 50s, the reconstruction of war-torn Europe had, for the most part, finished. What followed was a tremendous economic boom. A major expansion of the middle class made previous luxuries such as radios, televisions, refrigerators, and cars affordable and commonplace.

But in Poland, things weren't quite as progressive. The Eastern European country had been hidden behind the Soviet Union's Iron Curtain since the end of World War II, and for them, the 1960s was a time of stabilization. The political repression the country faced under a communist government was starting to weaken, and for the first time in a long time, the population of Poland were looking forward to the possibility of economic growth. But it was a slow burn. Wages were low, shops empty, and the state resistance towards Western influence continued. Technological advances popular in the West were still a decade away from communist Poland, and anything considered foreign

was likely to be censored or banned. Only groceries produced within the country were sold, which meant supplies were low and choices limited. Meat was rare, and when available, people queued for hours to get it. Everything else was mass produced in factories, so there was very little individual expression. Drab gray clothing was standard issue. But it wasn't all gloom. Even though conservative communism still ruled Poland, the hippie counterculture was finding its way in. Inspired by the West, young adults were questioning the rules and traditions of their parents. Packages sent from families and friends who had immigrated West introduced new food and clothes. Rock music, jeans, and miniskirts were

trendy, and jazz clubs, galleries, cafes, and cinemas were full of young people inspired by avant-garde influences. Krakow, the second largest, and one of the oldest cities in Poland, was a hub for emerging writers, jazz musicians, poets, and artists. They would meet in the thriving main square to exchange creative ideas and share their craft. Novels from American writers were smuggled in and sparked fascinating conversations. Those who spoke English and could translate Western ideas were the center of attention. Overall, life in Krakow was slow-paced but peaceful, with a strong sense of community. Although artistic creativity and liberties were growing, the communist government was still keeping a watchful eye on its citizens. There seemed to be

an unwritten agreement between the government and the people. Freedom of creativity and culture in exchange for political apathy. Around midday on September 21, 1964, 48-year-old Helena Welgian just finished her housekeeping shift and was making her way to the Church of Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Gun Tasker Street, situated 800 metres west from Krakow's main square. The Church was small but stately, adorned with stained glass windows, sculptures of saints, and a large painting of the Virgin Mary. Helena was devoted to her religion and attended Church most days to say her prayers. Whilst attending that day, she ran into a friend outside and

stopped for a brief chat before making her way from the chilly street into the Church. As she entered, she passed the young man with a red patch on his arm, indicating he was a student. Not paying him much attention, Helena walked down the aisle, faced the altar, and a note down. Lost in prayer, Helena was startled as she was struck to the side, causing her to stumble and fall. She turned to see the young man from earlier fleeing the Church. Dumbfounded, Helena had no idea why this total stranger pushed her in the back. She pulled herself off of the ground and went outside, where she was approached by a friend walking by with her child. Helena's friend asked if something had just happened as she saw a young man springing from the Church. Helena explained being

knocked over and said she was aching, but unheard. Her friend pointed out a large tear in the back of Helena's coat. Helena was outraged at the damage, but being a forgiving woman, she let it go. When Helena returned home, she removed her coat only to notice blood staining on her shirt and undergarments. As she peeled off each layer, the blood patches became larger and wetter. Upon removing her final piece, she found the source of the blood. She had an open wound in her back, just below her left shoulder blade, near her heart. She summoned a friend who contacted a local doctor who confirmed Helena had been stabbed. The next morning, Helena notified the crack-out police department about the attack.

Police took photographs of her injuries and noted the description of the alleged attacker, who Helena said was a teenage boy, aged between 16 and 18 years old, of average height, with dark hair and a friendly-looking face. He was wearing brown trousers and a lightweight coat with a red student patch on his arm. Police found her report bizarre and considered the likelihood the woman accidentally injured herself and was either making the story up or was confused about what really happened. Dismissing her claim, they sent her home and didn't bother notifying other officers or reporting the incident to supervisors. In Communist Poland, censorship laws meant violent crimes were mostly kept out of the newspapers, so no word about the attack on Helena was mentioned

in the media. Two days later, on September 23, 1964, 78-year-old Francesca Lewandowska was returning home from a shopping trip in town. At around 1 pm, she disembarked the tram in the Kazimierz district of Krakow's Old Town. Arms full of groceries, Francesca gradually made her way to her apartment building on the corner of Skavinska Street and Krakowska Street. She made it to her building at around 1.30 pm, entered through a gate, and then began a slow climb up the internal stairwell to her apartment. A short time later, three men came across Francesca's body in the stairwell, lying in a pool of blood. Francesca was rushed to hospital for urgent care. Doctors found a deep knife wound in her back that only slightly missed her heart.

Although the injury wasn't enough to kill her, Francesca spent months recovering in hospital and was left with a permanent disability requiring her to walk with the help of a cane. Despite her age, Francesca had an excellent memory. She was able to give police a clear description of what happened in the stairwell. Ascending the stairs, she heard footsteps following her and turned to see a young man a few steps behind. He was a clean cut, baby-faced youth. There was nothing unnerving about him, so she didn't give him a second thought. She turned and continued, when suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her back. Francesca collapsed to the ground in agony as the attacker quickly fled the scene.

She described her male attacker as aged between 16 and 18 years old, of average height, with dark hair and a friendly-looking face, wearing a light summer jacket. She also said he had a red patch on his shoulder that would indicate a school uniform. It was this description that sparked the interest of police, as it matched Helena Velgen's description of her alleged attacker from a few days before. The police quickly realized they'd made a mistake in dismissing Helena's report and considered the possibility they had a serial attacker on their hands, one who was deliberately going after defenseless, vulnerable women as they went about their day. But other than the relatively vague descriptions provided by Helena and Francesca,

they had no leads. Neither woman had been robbed nor sexually assaulted, so the perpetrator's motive remained unclear. Six days later, on September 29, 86-year-old Maria Plihta stood in front of the bulletin board of her local church, the St. John's Baptist Church in the center of Krakow's Old Town, just 140 meters from the main square. A short time later, a passing nun found Maria in a pool of blood, desperately gasping the words, young man, young man, before she lost consciousness. Maria was transferred to a nearby hospital where it was discovered she had been stabbed from behind, directly through her lung, just barely missing her heart.

She underwent emergency surgery, however Maria never regained consciousness, passing away in hospital the following day, on September 30. On the night of Maria's attack, an unknown man entered the emergency department of the hospital. He asked the receptionist for information about the old lady who was attacked in the church. News of the attack had not hit the press, so the receptionist was confused as to how the man knew about the incident. He refused to identify himself and promptly left the hospital. The receptionist later described the man to police as being aged between 25 and 30 years old, of average height, with dark hair and pale skin. He was wearing dark trousers, a brown jacket,

and had a rough, sweaty appearance, which the receptionist described as looking mentally unstable. Police were baffled by Maria's murder, just like the attacks before her, there was no sign of robbery or sexual assault, and no apparent motive. It wasn't a stretch to link her death with the attacks on Helena and Francesca, older women who were alone in the middle of the day, and stabbed once in the back with a knife. No longer doubting a serial attacker was on the loose, on October 2, a special police task force named Garbusek was created. Helena Valgin was re-interviewed, and this time her story was taken more seriously.

Witnesses who saw the man fleeing the church on the day of Helena's attack were tracked down as well, but the only description they offered was that the suspect was a young male. Investigators felt the survivors' descriptions of the perpetrator were more likely unreliable, as they were elderly and traumatized. They instead chose to focus on the description of the strange man provided by the emergency room receptionist shortly after Maria's attack. They believed this unknown man was Maria's attacker, and he visited the hospital wanting to find out if his victim had died. Violent crimes were rarely reported in newspapers under Communist Poland's tight censorship laws, but with the attacker having escalated to murder,

investigators felt it necessary to finally inform the press of the crimes, to raise awareness, and to compel witnesses to come forward. Assuming the receptionist's description was more reliable, the attacker was described in newspapers as being approximately 40 years old of average build with dark blonde hair, a long and weary face, hairy eyebrows, a wide right eye that could possibly be a prosthetic, sharp cheekbones with sagging skin, and an uncontrollable muscle movement on the right side of his face. Despite the media release, citizens were hesitant to come forward. They typically avoided the police, whom they mistrusted, which made the investigation increasingly difficult. The city quickly became shrouded in fear and paranoia. Women were too

afraid to walk the streets alone or attend a church. Desperate to protect themselves, they began creating makeshift armor. Some carried pillows, metal plates, and shields against their bodies as they went about their daily errands. There was a report of one woman who got so spooked, she slipped over and broke her hip. Doctors found a cast iron pot lid strapped to her back. Investigators visited shelters, psychiatric hospitals, and churches, hoping to find some information to point them in the right direction. The task force sought assistance from expert psychologists and psychiatrists for any professional insight they could provide, but nothing useful came to surface. Some specialists concluded the attacks could be

sexually motivated, but there was no evidence to support this theory. Over 550 people were interviewed and looked into, but it led nowhere. For Crack Our Police, their reputation was at stake. The brazen attacks occurred in the middle of the day, in the middle of the city, right under their noses, so the pressure was on to make an arrest. Yet, after three months, the investigation reached a dead end. Reluctantly, the task force was shut down. No more attacks had taken place, and the investigation proved fruitless. A police spokesman from the Crack Our Criminal Department stated, quote, There was no motive, and we were looking for a needle in a haystack.

Police had no choice but to archive the case. They concluded the attacks were likely committed by a mentally unstable individual who had since been placed in a hospital or arrested for a different crime. In the year and a half after the attacks, life in Crack Our returned to normal. The case of the unknown knife-wielding attacker slipped to the back of everyone's minds. February 13, 1966 was a snowy winter's day with perfect conditions for sledding on Costa Chusco Mount, an artificial mountain situated 3.8 kilometers west of Crack Our's Old Town. In warmer months, the peak of the mountain offered clear panoramic views of Crack Our City and the Vistula River, but during winter, Costa Chusco Mount was covered in snow and shrouded in mist.

Residents flocked there on weekends to practice their skiing and sledding. On this particular day, a sledding contest was being held, and the peak was a hive of activity as locals gathered to watch and participate in the event. 11-year-old Leshek Saurak was looking forward to the contest. Leshek loved the snow and had been practicing for weeks in preparation for the competition. On the morning of February 13, Leshek bundled up in his warmest winter clothing, grabbed his sled, said goodbye to his parents, and headed off to Costa Chusco Mount to enroll himself in this sledding contest. Organizers inspected Leshek's sled prior to enrollment. They determined it didn't meet regulations for the competition and denied him participation.

Disappointed, Leshek accepted the decision and walked away from the registration area. Dragging his sled behind him on a piece of rope, Leshek disappeared into the surrounding mist. Fifteen minutes later, a young scout trudged through the heavy fog when he came across something bundled on the ground. Leshek's body lay in the snow. His glasses crooked on his face, his small hand still clutching the rope of his sled. A deep pool of blood had gathered under his jacket. The boy was dead. Police quickly arrived on the scene. Costa Chusco Mount and the surrounding Volsky Forest were quickly sealed off as over 100 officers searched the area for Leshek's attacker,

but they failed to track anyone. A chuprin found in the snow near Leshek's body immediately caught their attention, but it was later determined to belong to a local guard who was quickly eliminated as a suspect. An autopsy of Leshek's body revealed he was stabbed 11 times. The knife used pierced nearly every one of his major organs. A forensic pathologist ruled the child was a victim of overkill, a term used to describe excessive violent force. His stab wounds suggested this act of murder was motivated by brutality rather than desire to kill or injure. There was no indication of sexual assault or robbery. Leshek's pocket still contained the notebook, lottery ticket, and school identification card

he left home with the morning of his death. Days after Leshek's Sawek's murder, police told the press they had several leads and were investigating a number of potential suspects. One was a boy named Benedict, a known troublemaker who previously lived in Leshek's apartment building. He was known to torment the young boy. Leshek's parents regarded Benedict as unstable and said he often returned to harass their son even after he moved away. Although they felt Benedict had it in for their boy and was capable of such a menacing act, he was eliminated as a suspect in their son's murder after providing a solid alibi. Investigators then looked into a second lead. A woman reported witnessing a man

walking around Kostushko Mound on the day of Leshek's murder. She stated he was in the company of a young boy pulling a sled through the snow. She described the man as 30 years old, average height and build with dark hair and large eyes. She recognized the man straight away as he had been harassing her for a few days before and she hadn't been able to forget his face since. Police looked into this woman's claims but upon further investigation they discovered she had a long history of violence and mental illness. Her claims went unsubstantiated. Instead of finding any leads into Leshek's murder investigators found something troubling in this female witness's life and she was placed under arrest for the murder of her own infant child

just a week prior. The next lead came from one of Leshek's schoolmates, Andrew. He told police he was with Leshek on the day of the sledding contest. Andrew revealed he and Leshek were approached by a man aged in his 40s at around 10 30 a.m. The man took Leshek by the hand and led him away which was the last Andrew saw of him. Andrew was able to provide a clear description of the man and of the location of the incident. However Andrew's mother confirmed her son hadn't left the house the morning of the murder until 11 a.m. 30 minutes after Andrew claimed to have been with Leshek. Andrew eventually burst into tears and admitted to making the whole thing up. More tips came in but they were either deceptive or didn't lead anywhere.

In a rare move that went against censorship laws photos of Leshek were printed by the press with a call out for anyone with any information to contact police. A task force was formed to investigate everyone near Kostrushko Mound on the day of Leshek's death. Over 100 people were looked into but no suspects were identified. Thursday April 14 1966 was two months after Leshek Sauak's murder. Information relating to the full identity of the following victim has been publicly withheld. What is known is seven-year-old Mal Gosher was in her family's apartment on Sobiesky Street just 220 meters from Krakow police headquarters. Recovering from Ann Joyner her mother was forcing her to stay home and rest even though she was feeling much better. At around 1 30 p.m.

Mal Gosher looked out a window and saw the postman approaching their building. Bored and restless she was thankful for something to do. The young girl threw on her coat, yelled out to her mother that she was going downstairs to collect the mail and rushed out the front door. Minutes later the front door swung inwards and Mal Gosher stood in the frame swaying. Her mother screamed in fright when she saw her daughter completely blood soaked. The little girl said weakly a man beat me up before collapsing to the floor. Mal Gosher was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. She had been stabbed five times in the back twice in the abdomen and once in the left hand. The most serious of her wounds was a 10

centimeter gash to her abdomen. Despite her injuries Mal Gosher survived. When questioned by police Mal Gosher explained she had gone down to the hallway on the ground floor where the mailbox was located. She noticed a young man sitting at the bottom of the steps. As she reached up to open the mailbox the man grabbed her from behind covered her mouth with his left hand and stabbed her. Complicating the investigation was Mal Gosher herself who changed her story several times and gave police conflicting descriptions of her attacker. Four days after the attack Mal Gosher's mother answered a knock at their front door. A young man they didn't know aged around 18 asked whether theirs was the home belonging

to the young girl who was assaulted. He wanted to know her name. Mal Gosher's mother was visibly shaken and stood staring at him in stunned silence. The young man told her not to worry that he would just look it up in the papers and promptly left. Mal Gosher's mother alerted her husband of the stranger who quickly ran down the stairs to find him but the young man was nowhere to be seen. Given the similarities Mal Gosher's case was quickly linked to the recent murder of Leszek Sauak. Police were certain they were carried out by the same perpetrator. Again in an unprecedented move in communist Poland they sought help from the public through newspapers. After the press release a taxi driver came forward with crucial information.

Passing Mal Gosher's apartment building around the time of the attack the taxi driver caught a glimpse of a young man fleeing the scene. The driver described the man as aged between 16 and 18 with dark hair and wearing a light jacket. Most intriguing was the claim the suspect wore a student patch on his arm. This description matched those given by survivors of the Spree attacker who had struck a year and a half earlier. Police quickly realized their error in publishing incorrect details of the suspect in those previous attacks. They had gone with the hospital receptionist description as they considered it more reliable than the description from the survivors themselves. Now that they believed those previous attacks were committed by the same offender as the most

recent attacks they quickly released a second description. This time detailing the attacker as a male aged between 16 and 18 years old who could possibly be a high school student in the local area. Experts established a profile of the killer to aid police with their investigation. The profile stated the killer acted alone, purposefully chose vulnerable victims and attacked quickly from behind. No attempt had been made to hide the victims. The killer might have a job involving the use of knives and appeared to know the Krakow area very well. The knife used was likely 10 centimetres long and 1 centimetre wide, possibly a standard fisherman's knife. One thing that couldn't be exactly determined by psychologists was the killer's motive.

There was nothing to indicate why he was committing the crimes. Eight days after the attack on seven-year-old Mal Gosher, police received a tip-off about a student at a local technical institute in Krakow. He was known to carry knives and act aggressively towards peers. Police visited the teenager, 19-year-old Carol Cott. They found Carol to be a polite young man from a good, recordable family. The coach of Carol's shooting club vouched for his character, saying he was one of the club's star shooters and a shining example to other students. The coach confirmed the teenager did carry knives around, but his fascination was nothing more than an innocent hobby. Police searched the Cott family home and found five knives, but none of them fit

the description of the murder weapon. Investigators were not convinced Carol Cott was the perpetrator they were looking for, and thus he was eliminated as a suspect. During the same winter of 1966, Carol Cott took a day trip to Tignettes, a historic village 12 kilometers southwest of Krakow. Accompanying him was his 22-year-old friend, Danuda. Carol met Danuda at his shooting club a few years prior, and the two had become close. Most other students made fun of Carol for being strange, but Danuda always came to his defense. She believed he harboured a sensitive side. The two would often go for walks together after shooting practice. Over time, Carol made it clear he was interested in more than just friendship from Danuda, but she turned down his advances.

He propositioned her for sex multiple times, but Danuda stated her feelings for Carol were purely platonic. Carol told her that if she didn't want to have sex with him, he could knock her unconscious so she would never have to know about it. Carol was always making morbid jokes, and although Danuda didn't really understand his sense of humour, she figured he was just trying to impress her in his own weird way. During the visit to Tignettes, the pair were strolling through the forest on the banks of the Vistula River when Carol suddenly launched on Danuda. After shoving her to the ground, he held a knife to her throat and told her he was going to kill her.

Danuda could only comprehend the situation as a twisted joke and started laughing. She played along, saying it was a horrible idea considering people knew they were visiting Tignettes together, and thus would know he was responsible. Carol took out a sharp piece of glass stashed in his pocket and told Danuda he would cut her wrists before throwing her body into the river so her death would look like a suicide. Danuda didn't actually believe Carol was going to hurt her, but at that moment she suspected he had deep psychological problems. She suggested he go to a psychologist and seek professional help, but Carol refused. A short time afterwards, Danuda asked Carol to return to Tignettes with her.

She claimed she wanted to do some artful sketches of the scenery. In reality, she hoped to take Carol to speak to a priest about his problems, but when they arrived, Danuda was unable to find the priest. The pair went for a walk instead, during which Carol bragged to Danuda about stabbing a young girl in her apartment building. He said he was disappointed to find out she survived. Carol often told shocking, fictitious stories Danuda interpreted as a cry for attention. But as his behavior lately was becoming increasingly unpredictable and violent, Danuda's instincts told her something wasn't right.

The following day, she checked newspapers and read about seven-year-old Mal Gosher, the little girl from Krakow who had recently been stabbed in a frenzied attack at her apartment building and survived. Danuda visited a psychiatrist and spoke of her concerns about her friend Carol Koch. Her psychiatrist encouraged her to go to the police. Nervous, Danuda was unsure whether it was the right thing to do, as she wasn't certain Carol was capable of really hurting others. Nevertheless, she did visit the police. They weren't convinced, as they had already investigated Carol as a suspect and found

no evidence to suggest he was the perpetrator. But Danuda's statements were compelling, so they decided to give the young man another look. Carol's final college exams were coming up, so investigators decided to wait until after his exams before confronting the teenager, while keeping a close eye on him in the meantime. Their reasoning was, if Carol was innocent, police wouldn't have ruined his chances of completing his tertiary education. But if he was the killer, sitting near exams would prove he was of sound mind should he decide to plead insanity in any future criminal trials. On June 1, 1966, the morning after Carol completed his exams, police arrived to the

caught residents on May Salsa Street in Cracow. Carol's father was an engineer and had already left for work. Carol was in sight celebrating the end of his exams with his mother and younger sister. Attending police officers were surprised when they met Carol. From what they heard of the young man, they were expecting some kind of monster. Instead, they found him to be a polite 19-year-old with a friendly face, neatly combed hair and a clean-cut look, who was dressed in a tailored coat. The Cots were a well-respected family and well-liked within the local community. Carol Cot was the oldest of two children, born in Cracow on December 18, 1946. His younger sister was eight years his junior. The Cot parents both worked hard and didn't have a lot of spare time,

although they always made time for family holidays and kept a loving home. Carol had a typical childhood. He did well in primary school and enjoyed various sports, especially karate. During high school, Carol was a model student. He didn't smoke, swear or disobey orders and never skipped class. He would often help other students who needed assistance with their work and had a good sense of humour. So teachers were surprised when he complained about being bullied. They thought it must have been because Carol told on his fellow students when they were breaking rules or causing mischief. The truth was, other kids found Carol to be weird.

Police searched the Cot family home, where they found Carol had possession of 16 knives, a rifle, a jar of sodium arsenate, a crossbow, ropes, cables, books about human anatomy, and notepads scrawled with drawings of knives. Based on the evidence found in his home and the information provided by his friend Danuta, Carol Cot was arrested for his suspected involvement in the murders of 86-year-old Maria Plikta and 11-year-old Leszek Saurak, as well as the attempted murders of Helena Velgian, Frantyshka Levendovska, and a seven-year-old Mel Gosher. Carol strongly denied the allegations. He was placed in a temporary hold, where police were able to keep him for 14 days before formal charges had to be laid. Carol looked more like a boy than

a man. Curious and well-spoken, he was intelligent and seemingly gentle-natured. Yet, as investigators studied Carol Cot, they realised his charming demeanour hid many secrets. From a young age, Carol Cot found a deep pleasure in the macabre. During his childhood, the Cot family would often take holidays to Pechim, a small rural village in southern Poland. Although full of charm, Pechim didn't offer much excitement for a young boy, and Carol found the trips boring. He would go for long walks to entertain himself. One day, he stopped at a local butcher and was delighted to be able to help out with slaughtering the animals. He enjoyed the atmosphere in the butcher shop and got a thrill out of watching

the slaughters take place. His visits to the butcher became a regular occurrence. At one point, Carol sipped the warm blood of the animals after they were killed. The workers got a real kick out of this, laughing at young Carol as he drank the blood, encouraging him to drink more. Carol said he found something deeply satisfying about drinking the blood from an animal that was alive just seconds ago. He described the feeling as glorious. The time Carol spent at the butcher shop sparked his deep fascination with slaughter, and he began killing small animals for fun. He would kill birds, chickens, frogs, and miles. He'd poke out their eyes, play with their intestines, and drink their blood. This all

happened in secret as he went out of his way to make sure no one found out. When his mother was preparing dinner, Carol pretended to be disgusted by the sight of fish cuts and raw meat in order to protect his secret. When Carol's sister was younger, he was very protective of her. But as she grew up, his brotherly affections faded. Carol was convinced his parents loved her more than they loved him. He took his insecurities out on his sister, bullying her and tormenting her when their parents weren't around, which was often. When she didn't obey his orders, he took great pleasure in punishing her. Carol would beat her using his hands, her belt, or a coat hanger. If she cried,

he would lock her in her room for hours, telling her it was the price she had to pay for her disobedience. His sister also had two pet cats. Carol would beat them and throw them against walls when no one was looking. As Carol grew older, his violent sadistic tendencies increased. He became fascinated with human anatomy and would read medical books to get a better understanding of how different organs worked. He built up a large collection of weapons, including knives, rifles, and poison. Hours were spent drawing sketches of guillotines and other weapons. He tested his rifles out by shooting at pieces of meat, curious to see how much dummy J.J. Bullock could cause to flesh. He loved knives and had never left the house without one,

honing his accuracy and speed skills by throwing knives at playing cards and other objects. Carol often boasted he could pierce a knife through a 3cm deep wooden plank with just one throw. Carol's dream was to one day serve as a commander in the army. He was fascinated by the coldness, bravery, and discipline shown by soldiers. But he was also fuelled by a darker desire for destruction. During a school trip, Carol and his classmates visited Auschwitz Concentration Camp Museum. Carol became fascinated with the idea of human extermination, telling classmates he could come up with better ideas for torture than the Nazis ever did. His biggest dream of all was to become

an executioner or concentration camp chief, where he could have free reign to murder at will. He fantasized about separating young females and males from the remaining prison population to participate in his own graphic orgies, then kill them afterwards. Throughout high school, other students mostly accepted him, but he didn't have any close friends of his own. This was no surprise, given that Carol loved to tell gruesome stories of a violent and sexual nature with a grin on his face the whole time. Although others found his stories shocking, they mostly passed them off as nonsense. Other students saw Carol's behavior as a kind of disorder rather than something to take seriously, and they often encouraged him to

continue with his stories so they could laugh at and tease him. Although they treated him like a joke, they feared his temper and were scared of his aggressive and unpredictable behavior. Carol was known to pick on smaller kids, practice throwing knives from his school desk, and would run down the school corridors pretending to shoot and stab classmates. One time, when an older student punched Carol, he took out a knife and cut the student in the arm. As the end of high school was drawing near, Carol applied to military school in the hopes of joining the Polish armed forces, but spaces were limited and his application was rejected. Good at taking orders, Carol instead joined the police reserves, the Socialists' Youth Club,

and the Defence League, where he was often praised for showing excellent discipline. Although he did relatively well at technical subjects, languages were not his strong point, and Carol failed Polish in the last year of high school. Failure did not sit well with him, and having to retake the exams sent him into a bout of depression. Nevertheless, he was able to finish high school and went on to become a tertiary student at a technical institution in Krakow. During his time at the technical institution, Carol's strange behavior and love for gruesome storytelling continued. Female students found him incredibly off-putting, and most were scared of him. One time, a female student was walking down the hallway when Carol

suddenly approached and professed his love for her. From that day on, whenever he'd pass her, he'd ask her what she was wearing underneath her dress, grab her inappropriately, or try to hug her. No girl would agree to go out with Carol. Desperate, he offered to pay girls to go on dates with him, but none accepted. Instead, he spent his days fantasizing about orgies, mentally planning the depraved sexual acts he would perform with female schoolmates. He let two male classmates know of one of his fantasies, to kidnap a young girl, cut her head off, and then send it to her mother in a box. The other boys just laughed at Carol, assuming this was another of the gruesome tales he told to get a rise out of them. Carol Cot was formally interviewed by police on June 3.

He came across as confident and cocky, and continued to deny the allegations. He admitted he enjoyed using knives and that he had killed small animals in the past, but denied involvement in anything more sinister. Police grilled him for days, expecting him to crack under the pressure at any minute, but Carol's story didn't change. Word of the arrest quickly spread, and the public received the news with mixed emotions. They were ecstatic the monster who had been terrorizing their city was finally behind bars, but many found it hard to believe the killer could be a 19-year-old student from a good, respectable family. It seemed incomprehensible that someone like him could be capable of such horrific acts, and that none of his teachers, schoolmates, or relatives

reported his violent and deviant behaviour. Carol's parents defended their son, saying he had always been a good child and brother, and there was no way he played any part in the horrible attacks. On July 6, a month after his arrest, Carol appeared in a police line-up. Witnesses were brought in one by one. Francesca Lewandowska, the second survivor, took her time observing the line-up. She put on her glasses and closely inspected each man, before finally looking Carol right in the eye and exclaiming, That's him. That's the beast who attacked me. Francesca wasn't the only witness to single out Carol, but it was her statement that shocked the team. Carol jumped up, looked Francesca right in the eye, and shouted, You have a good memory.

Please come closer so I can finish what I started. It was the confession the city had been waiting for. After being identified in the line-up, Carol caught no longer denied his involvement in the crimes. Instead, he started boasting about them. In chilling detail, he willingly and honestly explained his crime spree and the pleasure he derived from each attack. He spoke candidly about the dark thoughts that plagued him his entire life, including violent sexual fantasies of raping women, skinning them alive, and setting them on fire. He admitted his child would desire for slaughter, grew into full-blown obsession. Carol caught, quote, I was interested in what serves in the war to destroy

man and his well-being, and thus, poisons, knives, firearms, and the methods of their most effective use. I had a large collection of knives. My mother never refused to buy me a new knife. I knew that they were happy that their little boy had a passion. My first dream was to become a commando. I liked their courage, cold blood, iron discipline, and hard life. Then I dreamed about a military career. I wanted to finish my officer's school and become a high commando. I even applied to such a school. From my dreams, I managed to fulfill one thing I wanted. I was an executioner of people. So, I thought about a greatest slaughter, about a real big crematorium. If there was a war,

I would like to be the head of a concentration camp. I dreamed of mass murders in gas chambers, round-ups, and quartering people. I wanted to murder all women, except maybe two, my sister, and my cousin. Unfortunately, I didn't make it. Carol confessed it all came to the boil on the morning of September 21, 1964. From the moment he woke up, all he could think about was stabbing someone. He started thinking about the best place he could find a victim and decided a church was ideal. He was certain he'd find an old lady deep in prayer who wouldn't see the attack coming. He grabbed two of his knives and left the house.

Carol entered the Church of Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Before the altar, he dropped to his knees and made the sign of the cross, pretending to pray. No one else arrived, and the church remained empty. Eventually, Carol rose to his feet and went to leave. At that moment, Helena Velschen entered the Church to say her prayers. Carol explained prior to the attacks he felt stressed, anxious, and had trouble sleeping. But after the attacks, he felt the same sense of calm and happiness he felt after receiving a Christmas gift. His plan was to go after old women or young children who couldn't fight back,

target lone victims in deserted places, attack quickly, flee the scene immediately, and keep a relaxed demeanor afterwards so no one would suspect a thing. After the murder of 11-year-old Leszek Saurak, Carol maintained his plan by going to a friend's house to look at photo albums before buying himself a cake and heading home. The attack on 7-year-old Mel Gosher was described by Carol, quote, I saw a little girl in a cloak going upstairs. Immediately, I thought I would kill this girl. At that moment, I turned to her, quickly pulled the knife out of my sheath, and started stabbing her near the belly and heart. After this attack, Carol went to the local shooting range to renew his gun license,

and then went home for dinner. He showed no shame or remorse, and said his only regret was that victims had survived and he didn't get to kill more people. After each attack, Carol admitted wiping blood off the blade with his finger to avoid cutting his tongue. He then licked his finger clean. Carol caught, quote, drinking blood from something that was alive just seconds ago is something glorious. You will never understand it, only chosen ones can. I was chosen to experience and satisfy my body with the life of others. His taste for blood earned him the title, The Vampire of Krakow. Once Carol confessed to his crimes, one question remained. What happened during the 17-month break

between attacks? The vampire wasn't sleeping, nor had he been arrested for some other crime as police speculated. Carol confessed during the break he planned the murder of four other young women who he knew from school. He asked two of them on dates where he planned to kill them, but neither would agree to go out with him. The third girl he planned to rape and kill at her own home, but when he got there he found the housekeeper was also home, so instead of murdering the girl, he helped her bake a cake. He planned to slash the throat of the fourth victim using a razor blade, but he didn't have enough money to buy the razor. Carol then made several attempts to poison unsuspecting victims. He wanted to use arsenic or phosphorus, but all he could get his

hands on was 100g of sodium arsenate, a highly toxic salt. He added spoonfuls of it to bottles of beer, leaving them scattered around the neighborhood, hoping someone would spot one and be tempted to drink. No one fell for his poisoned beer trap. Next, Carol visited a restaurant for dinner and added a spoonful of sodium arsenate to a glass of lemonade he left sitting on the table. But the poison had a detectable loader, so nobody drank it. Learning from this experience, Carol went into a bar and poured the powder into a vinegar bottle he believed would mask the sour smell of the poison. He constantly checked the newspapers and asked around to find out if anyone died from the poisoned vinegar, but it didn't appear so.

In another attempt, Carol poured sodium arsenate into his classmates' thermos. The boy drank a little, but the solution was weak. When the smell of the poison hit his nostrils, the boy thought his tea had gone bad and he poured it straight down the drain. Carol's victim walked away from the experience with only a stomach ache. Failing his attempts at poisoning, Carol experimented with arsen. He went out on the streets with a bottle of liquid solvent, found a pile of old papers, doused them, and set them on fire. He ran down the street, returning a few minutes later to check on the progress, but it hadn't caught on. A week later, he set fire to a wooden toilet in his shooter's club, but a caretaker promptly put it out. His last arson attempt came when he walked

past an open basement and saw a pile of cloth and papers. He poured petrol over the pile and set it alight, but once again, the fire was extinguished without causing any major damage. After these failed poisoning and arson attempts, Carol felt the urge to stab again on February 13, 1966. He went to Kosciuszko Mound and confronted 11-year-old Leszek Siałek. He said he approached the lone boy and asked him about the sliding contest. Sensing no danger, Leszek indicated to Carol where it was occurring. Leszek then turned away, and that's when Carol grabbed him. Carol pushed Leszek's face into his body to muffle screams, and then stabbed the boy repeatedly. When describing the attack, Carol said, quote,

I'm baffled as to why people complained that the 13th is a bad luck day. For me, it turned out that 13th was a wonderful day. Carol's confessions amassed over 8,000 pages across 18 volumes, along with videos and tape recordings where he shared his life story, his bone-chilling philosophies, and the twisted reasons for committing his crimes. He agreed to participate in video re-enactments of his knife attacks and poisoning attempts, during which he had a proud smile on his face as he directed the film crew, police, and actors playing out each of his crimes. Dozens of horrified onlookers watched as Carol acted out his attacks, tightly grabbing the actors

who played his victims and gleefully plunging a cardboard knife into their backs. When asked if he believed murder was a moral, Carol answered that he knew it was against the law, but he felt no moral objections towards it. He believed he was a decent man, and killing was his own personal calling. When asked his thoughts on pain, Carol said, quote, "'Suffering is beautiful, and inflicting pain on others is an art, but not everyone can do it.'" Carol denied getting any sexual arousal from the attacks, but only because he had never had sex before, so he didn't know what sexual arousal felt like. Psychiatrists diagnosed Carol with a personality disorder, exhibiting aggressive behaviour and

a severe lack of emotional development. They recommended he be treated in isolation at Cracow's Medical Academy, rather than put to trial. They said he understood ethics and morals, but didn't view his behaviour as evil, rather as his fundamental right to seek pleasure and happiness, which gave him the false belief it was his moral right to kill. He saw himself as better than others, which resulted in a deep hatred towards other people. The full extent of Carol's way of thinking was displayed when he said, quote, "'I don't drink vodka, or have sex with prostitutes. Therefore, I'm not an evil person. You can be a good person and be a murderer, just like me.'"

After this initial diagnosis and time spent in isolation, Carol Cot was moved to the psychiatric ward of a hospital for further observation. During his three months in the hospital, doctors observed Carol to be calm, happy, and easily capable of upholding decent relationships with other patients. He enjoyed telling them about his sadistic crimes. He maintained a fear of punishment, but also made it clear he had every intention to re-offend, if released. EEG scans were taken to check if Carol had any abnormal brain activity, but the scans came back normal. During this observation period, Carol was asked to finish these sentences with the words that first came to his mind. This was the result.

The future seems to me, misty. I am waiting for life. When I am older, I will die. I love my mother, but I do not like her. I would like my father to die. I would do anything to forget, I do not like her. I would like my father to die. I would do anything to forget, that I exist. The worst thing that I managed to do, to be born. With the results of these tests, along with no family history of mental illness, psychiatrists determined Carol Cot to be of sound mind, and fit to stand trial. Carol Cot's trial began on May 3, 1967 at Cracow's District Court. So many people wanted to witness the trial. Court passes were sold on the street for absurd amounts of money.

When Carol Cot entered the courtroom, the audience was shocked by how normal he appeared. Carol's charges were read out to him. Two counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder, four by knife attack and six by poisoning, and four cases of arson. He pled guilty to all charges, a smile on his face the whole time. During the trial, Carol's behaviour was notably bizarre. He would turn around and make faces at his schoolmates who were in the courtroom, waving at them happily. When he was on the stand, he boasted about his attacks. His demeanour was so unbearably nonchalant, the judge called him out on it, reminding him of the atrocities he was describing. Carol's response was, quote, Okay, it's just that I have a cheerful attitude. I've

been eating and sleeping well, and have even put on weight in prison. 64 witnesses were called to the stand, and over 8,000 pages of evidence were presented, as the court tried to determine the appropriate sentence. The prosecution rallied for the death penalty, while the defense sought psychiatric care in an institution, arguing diminished responsibility based on insanity. The lawyer for the prosecution said, quote, Let your judgement remove the shadow of a bloody vampire once and for all, and restore a sense of security in the old alleys of our city. Let this moment be a warning for all these cowardly heroes, who, on their own selfish motives, have challenged themselves by targeting the highest social good of human life,

targeting the lives of the elderly, targeting the lives of children. The sentence was handed down on July 14, 1967, when asked for his final statement, Carol Cote had nothing to say. The court rejected the defense of diminished responsibility based on insanity. Judge Olashinsky, quote, The acts committed by the accused show that he is more dangerous than the savage beast, because he was endowed with reason. His second life was ridden with martyrdom, suffering, and blood of innocent victims. A biography revealing cruelty and growing emotional coldness. A biography whose content was killing, destroying, setting fire, and poisoning. Carol Cote was sentenced to death by hanging.

The sentencing was based purely on the murder of 11-year-old Leszek Siawek, with the judge determining one horrific murder was enough to warrant the death sentence. The judge's reasoning for the verdict lasted exactly 65 minutes, and throughout the entire period, Carol Cote sat calmly on the bench, not a single muscle on his face moved. When the judge read out his death sentence, Carol nervously swallowed, but remained calm. Months later, Carol's defense team appealed the verdict, citing a section of the criminal code to strengthen their argument for diminished responsibility. The appeal was granted, and on November 22, 1967, the highest court overturned his death sentence. His sentence was

changed to life imprisonment with ongoing psychiatric treatment. The prosecution went to extraordinary lengths to exercise the right to another appeal, fighting to reinstate the death sentence. Near four months later, on March 11, 1968, seven judges attended the appeal, where Carol was judged for both murders, the 10 attempted murders, and the four counts of arson, rather than just the murder of Leszek Siawek. This appeal was successful, and Carol's death sentence was reinstated. In his final interview, Carol Cote said, quote, Soon where I'm going, I'll meet with my victims and we can speak. Here on earth, I have no one to talk to.

On May 16, 1968, Carol Cote was put to death by hanging at 21 years of age. Before his death, Carol said, quote, The biggest pleasure was when the knife was entering the body. This feeling is worth the hanging. When Carol was first under psychological care, scans showed no abnormal brain activity. However, his autopsy revealed a massive tumor on the right side of his brain. The prefrontal cortex of his brain also displayed abnormal physical characteristics. This suggested his attacks could very well have been a result of mental illness. Two examiners had explained his unusual motivation and random selection of victims,

which varied to other well-documented serial killers. They suggested his behavior may have been the result of an unhealthy brain, as opposed to an unhealthy mind. Modern medical experts in Poland are sure if Carol Cote went to trial today, he would be judged as a mentally ill person with a psychopathic personality disorder, not as a regular criminal. In that case, specialists wonder whether the death penalty for Carol Cote was appropriate, or whether the teenager should have in fact been sent for treatment to a psychiatric institution. When asked about the philosophy by which he lived his life, Carol Cote said, quote, keep it short, kill others, drink blood, destroy lives.