Mieczysław Zub (10 October 1953 – 29 September 1985) was a Polish

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

who killed 4 women in

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...

. The

Milicja Obywatelska Milicja Obywatelska (MO; ), known as the Citizens' Militia in English, was the national police organization of the Polish People's Republic. The MO was established on 7 October 1944 by the Polish Committee of National Liberation under Chief Co ...

gave him the pseudonym Fantomas.

Murders

Mieczysław Zub committed 4 murders and 13 rapes at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s. At the beginning of his criminal activity, Zub was a policeman by profession; he would wear his uniform while committing his crimes, which made him feel unpunished. He made his first robbery on 29 November 1977 in

Świętochłowice Świętochłowice (; ; ) is a city with powiat rights in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is also one of the central cities of the Metropolis GZM, with a population of 2 million, and is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Rawa ...

. He dragged a 14-year-old into the forest on the pretext of explaining a misunderstanding. There he turned her over, laid down next to her and covered her mouth with his hand. Threatening her with a gun, he ordered the girl to undress. The police opened an investigation into the matter, but it did not lead to anything.WP Facet
''Mieczysław Zub – milicjant, mąż, ojciec, gwałciciel, morderca'' (in

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

). 29 September 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2018. In the 1970s, he made several more attacks on women while disguised as a policeman, but he was soon dismissed for disciplinary offences (which indicated doubts from his superiors towards Zub). After he was released, Zub did not commit any other crime for two years.Kryminalna Polska
''„Fantomas” – seryjny morderca w milicyjnym mundurze'' (in

). 29 March 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2018. He returned to crime in September 1980 when he raped a young woman. A year later, he committed the first murder. On 19 November 1981, in

Ruda Śląska Ruda Śląska (; ) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is a city in the Metropolis GZM, a metropolis with a population of two million. It is in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica River (tributary of the Oder). It h ...

, he raped and strangled a 19-year-old girl in her eighth month of pregnancy. Until the end of 1982, he murdered three more women. In March 1983, when he raped another victim he lost his pass, entitling him to enter the steelworks where he found a job. On 8 March 1983, Zub was detained and during the interrogation, he confessed to all crimes.Onet Wiadomości
''Śląski szlak "Fantomasa"'' (in

). 2 May 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2018. During the trial, Zub repeatedly insulted the judges, every now and then the trial had to be interrupted when the accused had to be removed. He was convicted and

sentenced to death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

. While his verdict was being read, Zub destroyed the accused's bench by kicking it. While in prison, Zub was aggressive towards his surroundings, forcing the prison authorities to put him in specially designed shackles and keep him in solitary confinement at the

Montelupich Prison The Montelupich Prison, named for the street on which it is located, the ''ulica Montelupich'' ("street of the Montelupi family"),Ulica Montelupich or "street of the Montelupis" itself is named after the Montelupi manor house (Kamienica (archite ...

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

. On 29 September 1985, Zub killed himself, a month after a previous suicide attempt. Zub's many years of impunity according to some press reports can be explained by the fact that the militia focused on tracking down another serial killer at the time - Joachim Knychała.

Zub's victims

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zub, Mieczysław 1953 births 1985 suicides 1985 deaths 1981 murders in Poland 1982 murders in Poland 1983 murders in Poland 1980s murders in Poland People from Silesia Polish rapists Polish serial killers People convicted of murder by Poland Prisoners sentenced to death by Poland Prisoners who died in Polish People's Republic detention Serial killers who died by suicide in prison custody Serial killers who worked in law enforcement Suicides in Poland Polish police officers convicted of crimes Police officers convicted of murder Violence against women in Poland

Murders

Zub's victims

See also

References