Metal Fang: The Almaty Cannibal

Almaty, Kazakhstan · 1980

solved Serial killer January 1, 1980

Perpetrator

Nikolai Dzhumagaliev

Nikolai Dzhumagaliev (born 1952) was a Soviet Kazakh serial killer and cannibal nicknamed 'Metal Fang' for his prosthetic white-metal teeth. He targeted women, killing and butchering them and consuming their flesh, sometimes serving it to unsuspecting guests. Declared insane, he was committed to a psychiatric institution rather than executed. He escaped in 1989 but was recaptured in 1991 and held in confinement; reports indicate he was later released.

Known Victims

At least 7 total — known victims include:

Unnamed female victims

Location

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Summary

Nikolai Dzhumagaliev, known as 'Metal Fang,' murdered and cannibalized multiple women in and around Almaty, Soviet Kazakhstan, before his arrest in 1980.

Details

Nikolai Dzhumagaliev terrorized the Almaty region of the Kazakh SSR, killing women and engaging in cannibalism, reportedly serving human flesh to guests who were unaware of its origin. He was arrested in 1980 after relatives reportedly discovered human remains in his home. Found not criminally responsible due to mental illness, he was committed to a psychiatric hospital instead of facing execution. He escaped in 1989 and remained at large until his recapture in 1991. His convicted death toll is generally cited as around seven women, with suspicions of more.

Overview

Nikolai Espolovich Dzhumagaliev, born on 15 November 1952, is a Soviet-era serial killer from the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, now Kazakhstan. He became infamous for a series of murders committed in and around the city of Almaty (then Alma-Ata) in 1979 and 1980, in which he killed and cannibalized his victims, all of them women. He acquired the nickname 'Metal Fang' (sometimes rendered 'Iron Fang') because of prominent metal dental crowns; he was also known by the nicknames 'Kolya the Maneater' and 'the Almaty Cannibal.'

The case became one of the most notorious in late Soviet criminal history, both for the nature of the crimes and for the fact that Dzhumagaliev was found legally insane, escaped from psychiatric custody years later, and was eventually recaptured. He has spent most of his life since 1980 confined in special psychiatric institutions.

The Murders

Dzhumagaliev's documented killing spree took place primarily between 1979 and 1980 in the area surrounding Alma-Ata. According to the case as presented at trial, he was responsible for the murders of several women, typically attacking them by stabbing or slitting their throats. After the killings he dismembered the bodies and engaged in cannibalism, cooking and consuming portions of the remains.

Accounts of the case, including the Wikipedia article, state that he prepared human flesh as meals and, in one widely repeated detail, served it to dinner guests who were unaware of what they were eating. The exact number of victims is reported with some variation across sources: he was convicted in connection with a series of murders from this period, and total figures of around seven to ten victims appear in different accounts when later crimes are included.

Arrest and Investigation

Dzhumagaliev was arrested in 1980. A commonly cited version of events holds that suspicion fell on him after he appeared at a gathering covered in blood, leading to the discovery of human remains and his identification as the killer. Soviet authorities in Alma-Ata then assembled the case linking him to the series of murders of women in the region.

During the investigation, psychiatric experts examined Dzhumagaliev's mental state. He was diagnosed with a serious mental illness, reported in sources as schizophrenia, and was assessed as not criminally responsible for his actions. This finding shaped the legal outcome of the case, directing it toward compulsory psychiatric treatment rather than a conventional criminal sentence.

Legal Outcome and Confinement

Because he was declared legally insane, Dzhumagaliev was not subject to the death penalty or a standard prison term. Instead, he was committed to a special psychiatric hospital under the Soviet system of compulsory medical treatment. This decision was controversial given the severity and number of the crimes, and the case has frequently been cited in discussions of how the Soviet legal and psychiatric systems handled extreme violent offenders.

Reports indicate he was held in secure psychiatric facilities, including institutions associated with Tashkent and later in Kazakhstan. Over the following decades his confinement continued under psychiatric supervision rather than within the ordinary prison system.

Escape and Recapture

One of the most striking aspects of the case is that Dzhumagaliev escaped from custody. Sources report that he fled during a transfer in the late 1980s and remained at large for roughly two years before being recaptured in the early 1990s. The escape generated significant public alarm given his history.

Accounts of the period during which he was a fugitive vary, and some sources attribute one or more additional killings to this time, though details from this phase are less thoroughly documented than the original Alma-Ata series. He was returned to psychiatric confinement after his recapture.

Aftermath and Legacy

Dzhumagaliev has remained confined in psychiatric care in Kazakhstan in the decades since. Multiple sources report that, in later years, he has been held at a clinic in the area of Aktas, near Almaty, where he has reportedly been permitted to perform work such as repairs within the institution. As of recent reporting he was still alive and institutionalized.

The case continues to be referenced in true-crime literature and media as one of the most extreme examples of cannibalistic serial murder from the Soviet era. The 'Metal Fang' nickname, the cannibalism, and the unusual legal handling of the case have kept it a subject of enduring, if sometimes sensationalized, public interest. Readers should note that many widely circulated details derive from a limited set of sources, and some specifics are reported inconsistently.

Video Coverage

Frequently asked questions

What was the Metal Fang: The Almaty Cannibal case?

Nikolai Dzhumagaliev, known as 'Metal Fang,' murdered and cannibalized multiple women in and around Almaty, Soviet Kazakhstan, before his arrest in 1980.

Who was responsible for Metal Fang: The Almaty Cannibal?

Nikolai Dzhumagaliev. Nikolai Dzhumagaliev (born 1952) was a Soviet Kazakh serial killer and cannibal nicknamed 'Metal Fang' for his prosthetic white-metal teeth. He targeted women, killing and butchering them and consuming their flesh, sometimes serving it to unsuspecting guests. Declared insane, he was committed to a psychiatric institution rather than executed. He escaped in 1989 but was recaptured in 1991 and held in confinement; reports indicate he was later released.

How many victims were there in the Metal Fang: The Almaty Cannibal case?

At least 7 victims are associated with this case, including named victims such as Unnamed female victims.

Where and when did the Metal Fang: The Almaty Cannibal case take place?

It took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 1980.

Was the Metal Fang: The Almaty Cannibal case solved?

This case is recorded as solved.

Sources & further reading

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