A man accused of killing dozens of people in a Moscow park over several years and marking his slayings on a chessboard — with the goal of filling all 64 squares — will face a jury trial in September, a court has ruled.

After his arrest last year, Alexander Pichushkin claimed that he had killed more than 60 people, but prosecutors said they had only gathered evidence to charge him with 49 murders.

Pichushkin, 33, faces life in prison if convicted; Russia has maintained a moratorium on capital punishment in line with its obligations to the Council of Europe.

The spate of killings in the sprawling Bittsa Park in southwest Moscow began in 2001 and terrorized the Russian capital.