List of serial killers in Colombia explained

A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more people, with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them.[1] The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines serial killing as "a series of two or more murders, committed as separate events, usually, but not always, by one offender acting alone".

Identified serial killers

NameYears activedata-sort-type="number"Proven victims!data-sort-type="number"Possible victims!StatusNotesRef
Andrés Leonardo Achipiz2009–20131235IncarceratedKnown as "The Fish"; psychopathic hired killer who killed in Bogotá involved in the drug trade[2]
José William Aranguren1956–1964115115Killed in a shootout with law enforcementBandit who murdered people across three municipalities, together with three accomplices[3]
Daniel Camargo Barbosa1974–198672180Murdered in prison by a victim's relativeKnown as "The Sadist of El Charquito"; raped and murdered young girls across Colombia and Ecuador[4]
Manuel Octavio Bermúdez1999–20032150+56 years; commuted to 26 yearsKnown as "The Monster of the Cane Fields"; raped and murdered children in rural Valle del Cauca[5]
Cristopher Chávez Cuellar1990s–2015615+40 yearsKnown as "The Soulless"; murdered various people around three municipalities, including three underage brothers[6]
María Concepción Ladino1994–19986640 yearsKnown as "The Killer Witch"; fraudster who poisoned victims she had defrauded[7]
Luis Garavito1992–1999142193+Died in prisonKnown as "The Beast"; tortured, raped, mutilated and murdered children across Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela[8]
Sandra Giraldo2008–201133+IncarceratedTogether with Emilsen Rojas and several accomplices, she led "The Black Widow Gang"; defrauded and poisoned men for their life insurance policies[9]
Pedro López1969–1980110350+FugitiveKnown as "The Monster of the Andes"; raped and killed young girls across Colombia, Ecuador and Peru[10]
Luis Alberto Malagón Suárez1995–200166+IncarceratedKnown as "The Sadist of Rincón"; kidnapped, raped, and killed five girls from 1995 to 1997 in Suba, and later killed his wife[11]
Tomás Maldonado Cera2002–2018710IncarceratedKnown as "The Satanist"; murdered victims on or around Halloween night, then carved Satanic symbols on their bodies[12]
Jaime Iván Martínez2005–201642542 yearsKnown as "The Guarne Killer"; strangled young children and his wife in Guarne; suspected in other murders[13]
Élver James Melchor Bañol1990s–20194460 yearsKnown as "The Predator of Picaleña"; serial child rapist who murdered a girl in Tolima after being released on parole for three similar murders and sex crimes[14]
John Jairo Moreno Torres1997–1998420Murdered in prison by fellow inmatesKnown as "Johnny the Leper"; underage gang leader who murdered people who interfered with his criminal activities[15]
Yadira Narváez201156+100 yearsKnown as "The Queen of Scopolamine"; poisoned men with Carbofuran to steal their money[16]
Hernando Arturo Prada1990s–19991010+Killed by a paramilitary squad while on the runKnown as "The Angel of Death"; gang leader who killed people in Bucaramanga[17]
Luis Gregorio Ramírez Maestre2010–2012303034 yearsKnown as "The Monster of Tenerife"; tortured and murdered motorists he came across highways[18]
Emilsen Rojas2008–201133+IncarceratedTogether with Sandra Giraldo and several accomplices, she led "The Black Widow Gang"; defrauded and poisoned men for their life insurance policies[19]
Esneda Ruiz Cataño2001–201033IncarceratedKnown as "The Predator"; poisoned three husbands for their life insurance policies[20]
Efraín Sarmiento Cuero2017–202333IncarceratedKnown as "The Beast"; murdered girlfriends across during arguments, including one during a conjugal visit in prison[21]
Fredy Armando Valencia2012–20148100+36 yearsKnown as "The Monster of Monserrate"; strangled women around Monserrate, then had sex with their bodies[22]
Juan Carlos Villa2012–20231111IncarceratedMurdered 11 people across various municipalities.[23]
Rubén Villalobos Herrera2012–201799IncarceratedKnown as "The Black Canes Monster"; raped and murdered women in Villavicencio, then had sex with their bodies post-mortem[24]

Unidentified serial killers

NameYears activedata-sort-type="number"Proven victims!data-sort-type="number"Possible victims!Regions where activeNotesRef
Monster of the Mangones1963–1970s3038Valle del CaucaKidnapped, raped, tortured and then murdered between young boys and teenagers in Cali; investigators believe the killer to have suffered from clinical vampirism[25]

See also

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Book: Ronald M. Holmes . Stephen T. Holmes . Contemporary Perspectives on Serial Murder . . 1998 . 1 . 15 June 2016 . 0-7619-1421-8. Serial murder is the killing of three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a significant cooling-off period between the murders [...] The baseline number of three victims appears to be most common among those who are the academic authorities in the field. The time frame also appears to be an agreed-upon component of the definition..
  2. News: Pescadito . Correa . Juan David Ramírez . 6 May 2013 . . . es . 27 May 2019.
  3. Felipe Motoa Franco (17 November 2013). Remembering the 39 victims that Desquito killed in the village of La Italia (Victoría) La Patria. Accessed 4 June 2020. (in Spanish)
  4. News: Cronologia de los Asesinatos de Camargo Barbosa . Timeline of the Murders of Barbosa Camargo . 15 November 1994 . . Ecuador . es . 31 March 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100529160106/http://www.hoy.com.ec/noticias-ecuador/cronologia-de-los-asesinatos-de-camargo-barbosa-26954-26954.html . 29 May 2010.
  5. Web site: La historia de cinco asesinos en serie de Colombia . The story of five serial killers from Colombia . 20 July 2013 . KienyKe . es . 20 February 2014.
  6. Web site: El asesino de los 4 niños del Caqueta, comenzó su carrera criminal en Ibagué . The murderer of 4 children of in Caqueta, began his criminal career in Ibagué . 16 February 2015 . CambioIn . es . 24 November 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190528142539/https://www.cambioin.com/featured-videos/el-asesino-de-los-4-ninos-del-caqueta-comenzo-su-carrera-criminal-en-ibague . 28 May 2019.
  7. Web site: La bruja asesina . The murderous witch . Pujadas . Edda . 5 May 2013 . Diario La Voz . es . 24 November 2019.
  8. Two Homosexual Pedophile Sadistic Serial Killers: Jürgen Bartsch (Germany, 1946–1976) and Luis Alfredo Garavito Cubillos (Colombia, 1957) . M. . Benecke . M. . Rodriquez . A. . Zabeck . A. . Mätzler . amp . Minerva Medicolegale . 125 . 3 . September 2005 . 153–169 . Edizioni Minerva Medica S.p.A. . . 20 June 2010 . 0026-4849.
  9. Web site: The gang of 'Black Widows' was captured in Antioquia. 12 September 2011 . Caracol Radio. 31 August 2020. es.
  10. Web site: Who is Pedro Lopez? . 20 February 2005 . Matthew White . 2013-08-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071021224003/http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/lopez_ap.htm . 21 October 2007.
  11. News: Capturado Homicida de Niñas de Suba . Murderer of Suba girls captured . 1 February 2002 . . es . 27 August 2019.
  12. Web site: Los macabros detalles del asesino serial colombiano que le rendía tributo al diablo . The macabre details of the Colombian serial killer who paid tribute to the devil . 14 February 2019 . . es . 14 May 2019.
  13. Web site: Condenan a 42 años de prisión al llamado "asesino en serie" de Guarne . The "serial killer" of Guarne sentenced to 42 years in prison . 20 January 2017 . . es . 24 May 2019.
  14. https://santamartaaldia.co/melchor-el-llamado-segundo-garavito/ Melchor, the so-called 'Second Garavito'
  15. Web site: Sicópata de 20 años tenía aterrorizados a los habitantes de Kennedy y Fontibón . 20-year-old psychopath terrified the inhabitants of Kennedy and Fontibón . 28 February 1998 . . es . 10 May 2019.
  16. News: Yadira: la asesina en serie . 18 May 2014 . Diario del Huila . es . 24 February 2019.
  17. News: 21 February 2000. Paramilitares dieron muerte a reo que secuestró avión Colombiano. es. Paramilitaries killed inmate who hijacked Colombian plane. Caracol Radio. https://web.archive.org/web/20210812005044/https://caracol.com.co/radio/2000/02/21/nacional/0951116400_021997.html. live. 12 August 2021.
  18. News: La macabra ruta del 'Monstruo de Tenerife' . The macabre journey of the 'Monster of Tenerife' . Julián Espinos . Rojas . 16 April 2013 . . es . 8 September 2014.
  19. Web site: The gang of 'Black Widows' was captured in Antioquia. 12 September 2011 . Caracol Radio. 31 August 2020. es.
  20. Web site: Capturada mujer acusada de asesinar a sus esposos para cobrar millonarios seguros de vida . Captured woman accused of murdering her husbands to collect millions in life insurance . 30 January 2013 . . es . 9 May 2019.
  21. News: Óscar Javier Bueno . May 16, 2023 . Fiscalía imputa por feminicidio a recluso que asesinó a su pareja en la cárcel de Cómbita . es . Prosecutor's Office charges femicide to inmate who murdered his partner in Cómbita prison . . https://archive.today/20231114092251/https://www.rcnradio.com/judicial/fiscalia-imputa-por-feminicidio-a-recluso-que-asesino-a-su-pareja-en-la-carcel-de-combita . November 14, 2023.
  22. Web site: La historia del 'Monstruo de Monserrate', asesino en serie de mujeres . The story of the 'Monster of Monserrate', serial killer of women . 2 December 2015 . . es . 9 May 2019.
  23. Web site: Juan Carlos Villa, el asesino en serie de Risaralda responsable de al menos 11 homicidios. Caracol Radio. 20 January 2024.
  24. Web site: Cayó feminicida y violador en serie que aterrorizaba a Villavicencio . Serial killer and rapist who terrorized Villavicencio captured . 31 May 2017 . Diario del Sur . es . 24 November 2019.
  25. Germán Peña Córdoba (24 September 2019). 'The Monster of the Mangones' in the 1960s Semanario digital Sevilla Valle del Cauca. Accessed 9 August 2020. (in Spanish)