Maxim Gelman Murderer Country: USA

1. Biography of Maxim Gelman
2. A Series of Murders
3. Arrest and Defense

Biography of Maxim Gelman

Maxim Gelman is a Ukrainian immigrant currently residing in the United States. He was arrested on February 12, 2011, for a series of attacks on residents of New York City. Gelman arrived in Brooklyn in 1994, along with his mother Svetlana. His father had settled in the country two years earlier but chose to return to their homeland after obtaining American citizenship. Maxim and Svetlana officially became American citizens in 2005. Gelman attended a local school named after Abraham Lincoln for some time and enjoyed skateboarding and graffiti art in his free time. He had encountered trouble with the police multiple times due to his graffiti activities and was even caught with crack cocaine on January 26, 2011. Though the police claimed Gelman was a drug addict and possibly involved in drug dealing, the role drugs played in the events of February 11-12, 2011, remains uncertain. According to the official version, Gelman's actions were primarily driven by unrequited love.

A Series of Murders

On the morning of February 11, Gelman began a series of murders. His first victim was his stepfather, Alexander Kuznetsov, who refused to give Gelman the keys to a car, resulting in him inflicting 11 stab wounds on Kuznetsov. Gelman then drove to Elena Bulchenko, his former lover. Elena's mother, Anna, met Gelman first, and he killed her before waiting for Elena to arrive. When Elena finally arrived home after six hours, Gelman attacked her. More than ten stab wounds were found on Elena's body. Gelman then took his stepfather's car and continued driving recklessly around Brooklyn, disregarding speed limits. He eventually crashed into a Pontiac driven by Arthur DiCrescento, who sustained severe injuries but survived. Gelman later tried to steal a taxi from Fitz Fuller, but Fuller put up a fight. Gelman later took the car of another person, Sheldon Pottinger, and his further activities that day are not well-documented. Pottinger's car was found in Queens, and Gelman emerged the next morning in the subway.

Arrest and Defense

While in the subway, Gelman attacked a female passenger who was reading an article about his previous crimes, and then stabbed another passenger before attempting to reach the train conductor. Gelman falsely claimed to be a police officer, but real officers were present in the conductor's cabin due to his previous rampage. He was apprehended and taken to a police station, where six knives were found during a search – two on Gelman at the time of arrest and four in the stolen car. Gelman's defense attorney has argued that his client is fully sane and aware of his prospects. Gelman himself claims to have been the victim of a carefully planned provocation and denies any wrongdoing in the horrifying events of that Friday and Saturday.