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True Crime Friday: Luis Garavito, the Beast of Colombia


Luis Garavito was a prolific Colombian Serial Killer. He tortured and murdered over one hundred and ninety people with the majority being young males between the ages of six and sixteen years of old. He would lure poor and middle class children away from their parents by pretending to be a candy salesman or a priest. Luis Alfredo Garavito Cubillos was born January 25, 1957 in the county of Colombia. His reign of terror was from 1992 through 1999. He targeted these children because the police considered them to be less dead since they were street kids. He was also a necrophilia.

The Less Dead Theory In Play

The Less Theory is poor people and minorities that are considered undesirable by society. These groups generally are the poor, women and children who are ignored and devalued in life. Therefore, in death they are also devalued essentially ignored by their own communities or members of their neighborhoods and generally not missed when they are gone. They lack prestige or power and the police generally devalue their lives as well. Garavito was aware of the attitudes of authorities toward street kids and that is why he targeted them for murder. Serial killers will mostly target people that they know society and authorities do not care about. So many young children died because the authorities did not value their lives because of their status in society.

The Early Childhood of Luis Garavito

Garavito was neglected and abuse as a child as was his siblings. He was also raised in poverty. His father was abusive and often cheated on his wife. The couple fought almost all the time and the kids were scared constantly because their father was abusive. Garavito was teased by other children because of his learning difficulties. He was also teased for wearing glasses. After being bullied by his class mates he then started spending time alone. Garavito was taken out of school while in the fifth grade by his father to get a job and help the family financially.

It was said in 1968, when visiting a clinic for a vaccine shot Garavito was sexually molested by the pharmacist. The pharmacist was a friend of Garavito’s father and also a neighbor. He did not speak about the molestation until he was arrested. As with most serial killers, Garavito, killed animals before moving on to human beings. Garavito blamed his continued use of a Ouija Board as the reason to why he committed so many murders. He believed that he had been possessed by a demon or demons. Garavito said he could not get have a sexual climax unless he decapitated his victims while they were alive.

The Victims of Luis Garavito

  • Jaime Andrés González, 13
  • Juan Carlos , 13
  • Jhon Alexander Peñaranda, 12
  • Unidentified child, 6
  • Mauricio Monedero Mejía., 13
  • Abel Gustavo Loor Vélez, 14
  • Jimmy Leonardo Palacios, 12
  • Henry Giovanni García
  • Marco Aurelio Castaño
  • Juan David Cárdenas
  • Jaime Orlando Popayán
  • Unidentified children, 200

The Survivors of Luis Garavito

  • William Trujillo Mora, 9
  • Carlos Alberto, 10
  • Brand Ferney Bernal Álvarez, 16
  • John Iván Saboga, 12

Lady Justice

Garavito was arrested for the attempted rape of John Iván Sabogal who was 12 years old. Garavito after the arrest, was not released from jail due to suspicion of his crimes. He confessed month later to killing over 200 children. He was sentence to 1,853 years in prison. He committed crimes in Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. It is believed that he murdered 221 people as he travel around the world. He died October 12, 2024, he was 66 years old.

Reference

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