Vlado Taneski Macedonian assassin, journalist Country: Macedonia

1. Biography of Vlado Taneski
2. The Murders
3. The Investigation
4. The Arrest and Suicide

Biography of Vlado Taneski

Vlado Taneski was a Macedonian journalist and a notorious murderer. He worked as a crime reporter, covering the criminal chronicles for a newspaper. His case shocked the public when it was revealed that he tortured, raped, and killed his victims before calmly describing the "heinous crime of an elusive maniac" in his crime column.

The Murders

All three of Taneski's victims were women between the ages of 55 and 80 who worked as cleaners. They were all raped, beaten, and strangled, presumably with a telephone cord. The killer mutilated their bodies beyond recognition, dismembering them and packing them in plastic bags. These bags were later found in different parts of Kichevo, Republic of Macedonia.

The Investigation

Taneski was a meticulous reporter who thoroughly "investigated" the case. He met with the victims' relatives, questioning them about the details and then included them in his articles. The grief-stricken families were devastated when Taneski, who expressed condolences and asked bitter questions about the victims' lives, was later arrested. The attention of the police was drawn to him when they realized that the details he provided in his articles could only be known by the killer. For example, he accurately described the size of the cable used by the murderer for strangulation. Taneski's guilt was later proven through DNA analysis.

The Arrest and Suicide

On June 22, 2008, Taneski was arrested and charged with two proven murders. There were suspicions of a third murder as well. Throughout the interrogations, he remained calm and composed, showing no fear of justice or remorse for his actions. At the time of his arrest, Taneski was 56 years old and had worked for the newspaper "Nova Makedonja" for the past 20 years. He was a well-known journalist in Macedonia and had received several professional awards. He lived alone, and little was known about his family, except that he did not live with his wife and two children.

Colleagues spoke favorably about Vlado, describing him as friendly and welcoming. However, he had recently been demoted to freelance correspondent due to a breach of work discipline. Nevertheless, readers, eager for details of the crimes, eagerly followed his column. During a search of his apartment, investigators discovered a significant collection of pornography with a focus on rape scenes.

The motives behind Taneski's brutal murders of three elderly women remained unclear. One theory suggested that the victims resembled his deceased mother, both in appearance and occupation as cleaners. Perhaps, he killed them as a way of venting some unresolved resentment towards his mother. Interestingly, his father had taken his own life in 1990. The police were unable to establish the motives for the murders, as Taneski took his own life in his prison cell in Tetovo. The method by which he ended his life once again shocked society - he held his head in a bucket of water until he drowned on June 23, 2008. At the time of his death, the criminal was 56 years old.