The Depraved Murders of 138 Boys

Luis Alfredo Garavito Cubillos is one of the world’s worst serial killers because of his vile crimes against children

When forensic biologist Dr. Mark Benecke interviewed serial killer Luis Alfredo Garavito Cubillos in a Colombian prison, he described Garavito as “mild-mannered, friendly and soft-spoken.” Yet, Dr. Benecke was not fooled by Garavito. He went on to clarify that Garavito was actually fake and a total psychopath.

Garavito is one of the world’s worst serial killers. He has been nicknamed “The Beast” and “The Monster of Genova.” It was confirmed that he murdered 138 boys aged six through sixteen in Colombia. However, the unofficial count is that he may have murdered as many as 400 boys.

It was not just the high number of victims that led to Garavito’s notorious image but also the manner in which he killed the boys. Garavito raped and tortured the boys before murdering them.

How did Garavito become one of the world’s most depraved serial killers?

A violent childhood

Garavito was born on January 25, 1957, to abusive parents. His alcoholic father abused his mother and the children. His mother was reportedly working as a prostitute and Garavito would be forced to watch her interact with her clients even as a young child. His mother’s clients would also sexually abuse Garavito. When he became a teen, Garavito ran away from home and decided he could survive on the streets.

The rest of Garavito’s childhood plays out like the plot in Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist except that there is no good ending.

Living on the streets of Columbia, Garavito meets a man who promises him food and shelter. However, the man is actually a pedophile and he leads Garavito to an abandoned house where he sexually assaults him. To escape the man’s clutches and for protection, Garavito joins a gang that robs people of food, money, and cars.

Garavito manages to survive life as a drifter on the streets. As he becomes an adult, he gets a girlfriend and seems to lead a normal life. He is even described as being kind and good with children. However, during the early 1990s, he starts picking young boys off the streets to rape, torture, and murder.

The vile murders of children

In 1992, Colombia was in the midst of a civil war and many residents were left homeless and wandering the streets. Most of those residents included orphaned and vulnerable children. No one cared for these children and no one would notice if they went missing. They were completely exposed to predators like Garavito.

Garavito targeted the boys by approaching them on the streets dressed in disguise. He would often dress up as a priest, a farmer, an elderly man, or a street vendor so that he could lure the boys away. He would change or rotate his disguise every time he targeted a different boy to avoid getting caught.

If a child was young, he would promise him gifts or candy. If he was targeting an older boy, he would promise him a job or money. Once he got his victim’s trust, he would walk with the boy to an isolated area and encourage him to share his life story. Garavito would keep the boy walking until he became tired and then he would attack him.

Garavito would bind the wrists of the child and then torture him. His torture sessions were brutal. There would be prolonged rape, stabbing and biting of the child, and anal penetration with sharp objects. In some cases, the boy’s private parts would be removed and the boy would end up decapitated.

From 1992 to 1999, it is reported that Garavito murdered as many as 138 to 400 boys. Throughout the seven years, he moved from town to town using disguises and fake names or stolen identities to avoid detection.

Investigation and arrest

Garavito continued to kill children until 1997 when the police discovered a mass grave of missing boys. Then in 1998, the bodies of three naked children were found. The bodies showed signs of torture and sexual abuse.

When the police searched the area where the three bodies were found, they discovered a note with an address on it. The address led to Garavito’s girlfriend.

The police searched the girlfriend’s home and found Garavito’s things in the home. The most damning evidence was photographs of the young boys that he killed and a journal where he described his crimes and tallied the number of victims he had killed. The police had the proof but Garavito was missing.

The police began an intense search for Garavito. After one week they arrested Garavito with a tip from a homeless man. Garavito had already targeted another boy when a homeless man intervened and rescued the boy. The police were immediately alerted and this led to Garavito’s capture.

Under police interrogation, Garavito confessed to the murders of 140 children although he was charged with 172 killings. In addition, Garavito directed the police to the remains of the bodies by drawing maps to their gravesites.

Conclusion

In court, Garavito was found guilty of 138 murders. He was sentenced to more than 1800 years in prison because of the number of victims but in a strange twist, his sentence was reduced to 22 years.

According to Colombian law in 1999, the maximum imprisonment limit is 40 years. Since Garavito helped the police find the bodies, his sentence was further reduced.

Today, Garavito is kept in a maximum-security prison in solitary confinement and away from the other prisoners who could kill him. In the prison, he lives in fear of being poisoned and rarely leaves his cell. He spends his time making jewelry. It is possible he could be released as early as 2021.

Many Colombians feel that Garavito’s sentence was too light and that he should have been given the death penalty or life in prison but in Colombia, these sentences do not exist.

The only justice, in this case, is that Garavito has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and may not have long to live.

Sources: The Mirror, All That's Interesting, Murderpedia, Wikipedia

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