On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we focus our gaze on some Ukrainian true crime and look at some of the worst human beings to ever live—The Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs. These three 19 year olds were the culprits behind a chain of awful murders in the summer of 2007. They were made internationally famous for creating the ghoulish viral video called “3 Guys 1 Hammer” in which they bludgeon one of their victims to death and stab him with a screw driver, all while taunting him and posing for selfies as he gurgles to death.

The three of them are said to have come from privileged backgrounds, with parents who were lawyers and such (one was even said to be friendly with the prime minister). They had typical upbringings, but at one point the three of them noted that they had fears and phobias, which they construed as weaknesses. One of them was a fear of heights, so they dangled from balconies for hours to “cure” him. Another had a fear of blood, so they became heartless sociopathic murderers. You know. Like you do.

Their motive was said to stem for a desire to make 40 videos of 40 murders for a website. They would pick their victims at random, often targeting the young and the old. Their typical weapon was a hammer or some construction tool they could use to bludgeon. They’d often kill more than one person per day and film it. They’d also take the possessions from their kills and sell them at local pawn shops. Some murders were done in front of people, and one was right across the street from the main prosecutor’s office!

These teens were heartless, soulless monsters who killed for fun. Or, maybe not even fun. Maybe out of boredom, it seems. So, what finally got the Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs arrested? Why did one of them get off with a  light sentence compared to the life sentences of the other two? How many did they ultimately kill? When did they start gouging out eyes, and what did they do to the pregnant woman they killed? If this is your sort of sick episode, then listen, laugh, learn.

 

Check out our Sources:

https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/The_Dnepropetrovsk_Maniacs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dnepropetrovsk_maniacs

https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/suprunyuck-igor.htm

https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/7827c4/til_of_the_dnepropetrovsk_maniacs_they_were_two/