Irina Viktorovna Gaidamachuk (Russian: Ирина Викторовна Гайдамачук) (born 1972) is a Russian serial killer who killed 17 elderly women between 2002 and 2010. Biography Gaidamachuk was born in the town of Nyagan. At a young age, she became addicted to alcohol. Subsequently, her parents were deprived of parental authority. She moved to Krasnoufimsk in the early 1990s, where she met a man with whom she later had two children. Her husband Yuri reportedly refused to provide Gaidamachuk with money for fear that she would spend the money on alcohol. Murders The majority of Gaidamachuk's crimes were committed in Krasnoufimsk. Similar crimes had been committed in Yekaterinburg, Serov, Achit and Druzhinino. Another woman, Marina Valeeva, was initially suspected for the crimes and after pressure from authorities, Valeeva initially confessed to the murders of Gaidamachuk's elderly victims. Court Gaidamachuk was charged with 17 counts of murders and 1 attempted murder. Forensic psychiatric examination conducted in GNTSSSP Serbsky showed that Gaidamachuk, although she showed some variation in the mind, was legally sane. In February 2012, the court case began. Gaidamachuk gave a confession to the indictment during the preliminary investigation; but, contested this throughout her trial. On June 12, 2012, Gaidamachuk was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Wikipedia.org Russian serial killer Irina Gaidamachuk jailed WikiNews.org June 6, 2012 A court in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg has sent serial killer Irina Gaidamachuk to prison for twenty years. Gaidamachuk, 40, killed seventeen elderly women so she could rob them. Gaidamachuk attacked her victims in the Urals region pretending she was a social worker so they let her into their flats. Once inside, she attacked the women with an axe or hammer. The first murder was in 2003 and Gaidamachuk was not detained until June 2010. She confessed. The investigation was troubled by the gender of the perpetrator; the possibility of a female killer was not considered until a woman survived. After the lone survivor's account, police still considered it possible the killer was a man dressed as a woman. Innocent woman Irina Valeyeva was arrested and confessed. More than 3,000 people were questioned before Gaidamachuk was caught. She changed tactic for her final victim, Alexandra Povaritsyna, 81, opting to pose as a decorator. Police followed up descriptions from neighbours of the bogus tradeswoman. The youngest victim was 61 and the oldest 89. Gaidamachuk was deemed sane. She said her motive was obtaining money for vodka. She must pay expenses for her prosecution. "I lived with her for 14 years but never suspected anything" said Gaidamachuk's husband, Yury. Yury has since begun a new relationship. Irina has two children. Russia's worst woman serial killer dubbed 'Satan in a Skirt' after murdering 17 pensioners in eight year reign of terror Alcoholic killer Irina Gaidamachuk claimed she carried out her horrific crimes to steal money for vodka

Victims had their skulls smashed in with a hammer or axe by Gaidamachuk who pretended to be a social worker

Police initially believed only a male killer could be so cruel, but investigation turned on account of sole survivor By Will Stewart - DailyMail.co.uk June 5, 2012 Mother of two Irina Gaidamachuk dubbed 'Satan in a Skirt', posed as a social worker to gain entry to the flats of her victims. After securing their trust, the 41-year-old killed them by smashing their skulls with a hammer or an axe. Then she robbed her victims, who were between 61- and 89-years-old, for the small

amounts of cash in their purses. In all her murders, police say she only gathered a total of around £1,000 from her victims. Sometimes she killed for as little as £20. She confessed to police: 'I did it for money. I just wanted to be a normal mum, but I had a craving for drink. 'My husband Yury wouldn't give me money for vodka. 'A court in Yekaterinburg, which is Russia's fourth biggest city, heard evidence from psychiatrists that she was sane when she committed her murders. Only one pensioner managed to escape, giving police the vital clue that the granny killer was a woman. A police source said: 'We believed at first that only a man could be so cruel as to slaughter in this way.' In fact, during a bungled investigation, in which the town of Krasnoufimsk was living in fear, officers also believed the killer could be a man dressed as a woman. They also arrested the wrong woman, Irina Valeyeva, then 29, extracting a confession from an entirely innocent person. After questioning more than 3,000 people they finally arrested the real killer in 2010. For her final victim instead of posing as a social worker, she offered to redecorate 81-year-old Alexandra Povaritsyna's flat. After she bludgeoned the pensioner to death, neighbours gave a description of the painter and police arrested her. Gaidmachuk was known as an ordinary mother, who helped out at her younger daughter Anastasia's school. One friend said: 'I simply cannot believe Irina is a mass murderer. She was a kind and gentle mother, always eager to help.' Her husband Yury, who has since moved in with a new partner, said: 'I lived with her for 14 years but never suspected anything.' But there was outrage among her relatives of her elderly victims that the killer was only sentenced to 20-years in prison. One said: 'It's little more than one year for each murder. She never deserves to be freed.' The judge said he exempted her for five years of the maximum 25 years 'because she is a mother'. But her lawyer Suren Sarkisyan demanded greater leniency, and has vowed to appeal the sentence. Serial killer case hearings start in Ekaterinburg By Dmitry Antonenkov, edited by Karina Ayvazova - En.gazeta.ru February 13, 2012 Ekaterinburg city court has started hearings on the case of 40-year old Irina Gaydamachuk, who is accused of murdering 17 pensioners. In June 2002, a series of horrifying murders started in the small town of Krasnoufimsk which later spread to the rest of the Sverdlovsk region. The first victim, an old woman from Krasnoufimsk, died after she got hit on the head by a blunt object. Later pensioners from other towns were killed in a similar way. Investigators found out that the murderer preferred to number their victims – they wrote number of every victim on the walls of their house entrances. In 2005, investigators believed that the killer was a disguised man. One of the witnesses told them the killer was a woman with blond hair. Investigators searched for the criminal in various ways, including checking all the blond women in the region. They even sought the help of psychics, but received no results. Investigators found Irina Gaidamachuk after another murder in May 2010. She was restoring a flat of one of the victims, but had no passport or official job. After a long process of questioning the woman confessed. Gaidamachuk was tested on psychological problems, but doctors found none. She now faces 25 years in jail – 1.5 years for each victim. This is maximum jail term for women in Russia.