Real Life Monsters: Defining serial killers

REAL LIFE MONSTERS The term ‘serial killer’ strikes fear in the hearts of most.

Define serial killer.

What defines one? One word: Deadly.

The term “serial killer” was coined in the mid-1970s by Robert Ressler, the former director of the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. He chose “serial” because the police in England called these types of murders “crimes in a series” and because of the serial films that he grew up watching. Prior to this, these types of crimes were sometimes known as mass murders or stranger-on-stranger crime.

The FBI defines a serial killer as one who murders three or more victims, with “cooling-off” periods between each murder. This sets them apart from mass murderers, who kill four or more people at the same time (or in a short period of time) in the same place, and spree killers, who murder in multiple locations and within a short period of time. Serial killers usually work alone, kill strangers and kill for the sake of killing (as opposed to crimes of passion).

According to a recent FBI study, there have been approximately 400 serial killers in the United States in the past century, with anywhere from 2,526 to 3,860 victims. However, there’s no way to really know how many serial killers are active at any point in time -- experts have suggested numbers ranging from 50 to 300, but there’s no evidence to support them.

2

Neighbor Next Door

Sometimes you will never know who your next door neighbor is. Psychopaths are everywhere and it is a fact that around 40% of the time they get away with their crimes. That’s why you should always be careful of your surroundings and you should know your neighbor.

One of the things that terrifies us the most about serial killers is randomness. Serial killers choose victims at random, and they seem themselves to be somewhat random — many people who have known serial killers have described them as the “average Joe,” one of millions of average Joes, most of whom don’t turn out to vicious killers. But you may be comforted to learn that most serial killers do have characteristics that can help separate them from all those other, non-serial killing average Joes. Unless, of course, you happen to know someone who has all these characteristics ... then you’re probably not comforted at all.

1.

Serial killers have personality disorders.

Most serial killers suffer from some kind of personality disorder. According to the FBI, that’s often psychopathy or antisocial personality. The difference between the two is nature vs. nurture: A psychopath is born that way — the impulse control and emotional centers of his or her brain are underdeveloped. By contrast, antisocial personalities are learned, and usually develop during an abusive or neglected childhood. Now, this does not mean serial killers are insane, which is why the “not-guilty by reason of insanity” defense rarely works for a serial killer. In order to be deemed criminally insane, people must demonstrate that when they committed their crimes, they could not tell the difference between right and wrong. Serial killers know very well the difference between right and wrong, they just don’t care.

3

2.

Serial killers are manipulative.

Serial killers are manipulative, but they’re also very good at making sure you don’t know you’re being manipulated. We all operate under the premise of believing that evil is something distant — that the person we just met or the person who lives next door to us couldn’t possibly be evil, mostly because we like to believe that horror is something that happens in movies and to other people. According to Psychology Today, Jeffrey Dahmer’s father simply accepted his son’s lies at face value because it was easier for him to believe the lies than to admit to himself that his son was a monster.

But even those of us who aren’t already emotionally invested in a relationship with a dangerous person can be manipulated. Superficial charm can lull just about anyone into a false sense of security, so it’s important to be on the lookout for it.

Generally speaking, if you’re being flattered and distracted with gifts, and if those actions appear designed to cover something up, like flaws in a story, the whereabouts of a missing item, or a bizarre favor or demand, you need to keep your guard up. Psychopaths look for your vulnerabilities and try to use them against you, so you need to know what your vulnerabilities are.

4

3.

Serial killers often suffered some kind of child abuse.

Abuse during childhood is not a direct path to serial killerdom, but many serial killers were abused as children. A Radford University study looked at the childhood experiences of 50 serial killers and discovered that 68 percent of them had experienced “some type of maltreatment,” either physical, sexual, psychological, or neglect.

Earlier research found similar numbers, and one study even reported that 100 percent of serial killers studied had suffered some kind of abuse in childhood.

David Hosier of Childhood Trauma Recovery says psychological abuse in particular has a strong correlation with future behavior — children who are shamed or humiliated or are punished disproportionately can develop a propensity for cruelty as a direct result of that abuse. Neglect, too, is a big factor because when children don’t experience empathy from a parent or caregiver, they sometimes don’t develop the ability to empathize with others.

Serial killers have a need of control.

4.

Psychological disorders or childhood abuse can leave people with feelings of helplessness, and for a disturbed person with the potential to commit violence, that’s a terrible personality flaw. People who feel like they’re helpless to control their own lives and situations will sometimes look for smaller, more manageable areas of their lives that they can have complete control over. If the person lacks empathy, that area may consist of other human beings.

According to Steven Reddy of Duquesne University School of Law, childhood abuse isn’t the only factor in a person’s past that can lead him to develop that oversized need for control. Kids who come from unstable homes — moving frequently, being shuttled between foster homes, etc. — may feel like they have no control over their lives, and as a double whammy also don’t have time to develop real relationships with their peers. So not only do they have control issues, they also have deficiencies in empathy simply because they have so few friendships with which to learn and develop the sense of empathy that all normal human beings possess. Lack of empathy combined with a pathological need to control others is a deadly combination.

5.

Serial killers often don’t show remorse.

Serial killers almost always lack remorse. That’s not really surprising, since the ability to repeat a brutal crime sort of depends on not feeling too bad about the first time you committed a brutal crime. In his book Serial Murder and the Psychology of Violent Crime, Richard N. Kocsis says lack of remorse isn’t necessarily specific to psychopaths and sociopaths, which is terrifying, so thanks for that, Richard. People who have fairly ordinary psychological makeups can also kill without remorse, provided they can successfully “compartmentalize and dehumanize” the people they kill. You know, “It puts the lotion in the basket.”

Most of the time, though, lack of remorse is directly related to a killer’s lack of empathy. If you’re unable to empathize with someone who is afraid or in pain, you aren’t going to feel much (if any) remorse about ending that person’s life.

HELP

If you feel ever feel unsafe or know about someone being suspicious or possessing this traits seek them psychological help as soon as possible. Never put yourself in danger if ever undoubtedly call 911.

5

Did you know?

The most popular killing method is the gun followed by strangulation, stabbing, and bludgeoning.

6

Criminal Mind

Abnormalities in brain structure and function could lead people to crime.

Anterior Cingulate Controls decision-making, impulses, and emotions. Criminals tend to have low control over this part of the brain.

Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Processes risk and fear. Killers have rebel attitudes were they risk all and do not fear anything.

Amygdala Primary role in processing memory as well as emotional responses. Serial killers do not develop emotional attachment to their victims.

7

The Real Life Monsters Do they exist? The answer is yes.

What if you actually knew that indeed real life monsters exist? And these are not the kind who sleep under your bed, they can be luring your neighborhood, being acquaintances, the people who you wouldn’t even imagine that would be capable of atrocious acts. Some of them as mentioned in the characteristics previously, can even be living within you. Monsters can be real life predators that might be looking out for their next prey.

Have you heard for example the infamous names of David Berkowitz “Son of Sam”? John Wayne Gacy? or perhaps the name Ted Bundy? Sometimes things can so go wrong in real life, sometimes life can be so insane for there to be people who basically just like to kill and who even inspired horror movies such as the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or perhaps Stephen King’s killing clown movie It. We are talking about the real life monsters that terrorized our minds and the world we live in.

Here are some of those real life monsters...

8

Name: Berkowitz, David AKA “Son of Sam” Gender: Male Nationality: American Crime Span: 1976-1977 Place of Crimes: New York City Weapon: .44 Caliber Revolver

O

His neighbor, retiree Sam Carr, had a black Labrador Retriever named Harvey, who Berkowitz believed pleaded with him to kill. He also saw Sam Carr as a powerful demon and was referring to him when he later called himself “Son of Sam.”

n July 29, 1976, Berkowitz began his killing rampage, starting with two teenage girls, Jody Valenti and Donna Lauria, in the Bronx. The two were sitting in Valenti’s car in front of Lauria’s home when Berkowitz shot at them, killing Lauria and injuring Valenti. A few months later, Berkowitz was at it again. Spotting a couple in yet another parked car, he fired at them, resulting in a massive injury to the man’s skull. That November, Berkowitz also shot at two teen girls walking home together and left one paraplegic. Police around this time had yet to put these shooting incidents together to realize they were related. But all that changed in January 1977 when Berkowitz attacked another couple in

Modus Operandi: Typically hunted girls with dark long hair or attacked people in parked cars at night.

Victim Count: 6 killed, and 7 seriously wounded.

Conviction: 6 consecutive life sentences. a parked car. Approaching Christine Freund and her fiancé, Berkowitz shot twice, striking Freund’s head, which later proved to be fatal. Because Berkowitz used the same .44 caliber gun in all of his shootings, the police were on his trail, initially referring to him as the “.44-caliber killer,” which later evolved to the “Son of Sam” moniker. That March, Berkowitz murdered college student Virginia Voskerichian as she was walking home from class. The next month Berkowitz claimed another couple, Valentina Suriani and Alexander Esau, in their car, but this time, he left a letter nearby addressed to NYPD Captain Joseph Borrelli, calling himself “Son of Sam” for the first time.

9

Name: Bundy, Theodore Robert AKA “Ted” Gender: Male Nationality: American Crime Span: 1974-1978 Place of Crimes: Washington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, and Florida.

Weapon: Rope, gun, metal bar.

Modus Operandi: Usually would take beautiful girls on rides, dates, and would later kidnap, rape, and kill.

Victim Count: 36, but even suspected of 100 or more.

B

Conviction: Electric chair.

undy confessed to 36 killings of young women across several states in the 1970s, but experts believe that the final tally may be closer to 100 or more. The exact number of women Bundy killed will never been known. His killings usually followed a gruesome pattern: He often raped his victims before beating them to death. While there is some debate as to when Bundy started killing, most sources say that he began his murderous rampage around 1974. Around this time, many women in the Seattle area and in nearby Oregon went missing. Stories circulated about some of the victims last being seen in the company of a young, dark-haired man known as “Ted.” He often lured his victims into

10

Other than his purely evil and manipulative nature, many believed Bundy was one of the nicest people they had ever met. He enrolled in law school and worked for a suicide prevention hotline. In fact, when the details started to emerge about his murders, people became shocked.

his car by pretending to be injured and asking for their help. Their kindness proved to be a fatal mistake. His last killings were on January 9, 1978, when he assaulted the Chi Omega sorority house. The most damning evidence connecting Bundy to the two Chi Omega murders at FSU were bite marks on one of the bodies, which were a definitive match to Bundy. On January 24, 1989, Bundy was executed around 7 a.m. at the Florida State Prison in an electric chair sometimes known as “Old Sparky.” Outside the prison, crowds cheered and even set off fireworks after Bundy’s execution. Bundy’s body was cremated in Gainesville, and no public ceremony was held.

Name: Garavito, Luis Alfredo Gender: Male Nationality: Colombian Crime Span: 1992-1999 Place of Crimes: Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.

Weapon: Knife.

Modus Operandi: Preyed on little boys usually from really poor backgrounds who would torture and kill.

Victim Count: 173 confirmed but could be 200+.

Conviction: 1853 years in prison.

G

aravito’s victims were poor children, peasant children, or street children, between the ages of 6 and 16.

Garavito approached them on the street or countryside and offered them gifts or small amounts of money. After gaining their trust, he took the children for a walk and when they got tired, he would take advantage of them. He then raped them, cut their throats, and usually dismembered their corpses. Most corpses showed signs of torture. Garavito was captured on 22 April 1999. He confessed to murdering 140 children.

However, he is still under investigation for the murder of 172 children in more than 59 towns in Colombia. He was found guilty in 138 of the 172 cases; the

as ”, wn ter kno Mons to o als “ The lead d s . was He st” an crime eaths d ea ble t B i e en “ Th s terr innoc hi any m

others are ongoing. The sentences for these 138 cases add to 1,853 years and 9 days. Because of Colombian law restrictions, however, he cannot be imprisoned for more than 30 years. In addition, because he helped the authorities in finding the bodies, his sentence has been decreased to 22 years.

On October 28, 1999, after several weeks of confirmatory investigations, Garavito was for the first time exposed to the fact that his identitiy was known and that evidence for his crimes was found. During the first questioning, he confessed to his crimes straight away and asked god and mankind for forgiveness. However no one will bring back the young lives he took.

11

Name: Dahmer, Jeffrey Lionel Gender: Male Nationality: American Crime Span: 1978-1991 Place of Crimes: Ohio and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Weapon: Knife, hammer, saw.

Modus Operandi: Would go out to gay venues, bus stops, or shopping malls to hunt for his next prey.

Victim Count: 17 young men.

Conviction: 15 life sentences.

J

effrey Dahmer was an American serial killer who took the lives of 17 males between 1978 and 1991.

Over the course of more than 13 years, Dahmer sought out men, mostly African-American, at gay bars, malls and bus stops, lured them home with promises of money or sex, and gave them alcohol laced with drugs before strangling them to death. He would then engage in sex acts with the corpses before dismembering them and disposing of them, often keeping their skulls or genitals as souvenirs. He frequently took photos of his victims at various stages of the murder process, so he could recollect each act afterward and relive the experience. Over the following two years, Dahmer’s victim

12

On June 18th, 1978, he brought a hitchhiker named Steven Hicks back to the house where he choked and bludgeoned him to death with a sledgehammer.

Dahmer said, “The guy wanted to leave and I didn’t want him to.”

count accelerated, bringing his total from four to 17.

He developed rituals as he progressed, experimenting with chemical means of disposal and often consuming the flesh of his victims. Dahmer also attempted crude lobotomies, drilling into victims’ skulls while they were still alive and injecting them with muriatic acid.

Dahmer’s killing spree ended when he was arrested on July 22, 1991. The body parts found in Dahmer’s refrigerator and Polaroid photographs of his victims became inextricably associated with his notorious killing spree. Dahmer was captured in 1991 and sentenced to 16 life terms. He was killed by fellow prison inmate Christopher Scarver in 1994.

Name: Cunanan, Andrew Phillip Gender: Male Nationality: American-Filipino Crime Span: April-July 1997 Place of Crimes: Minnesota, Chicago, New Jersey, and Miami.

Weapon: 0.40 Caliber Pistol and hammer.

T

Cunanan murdered Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace, shooting him twice on the front stairway of his Miami Beach mansion, Casa Casuarina. A witness pursued Cunanan but was unable to catch him. He remained in Miami until his suicide.

he highly intelligent Cunanan reveled in his life as a young, attractive gay male. He typically socialized with much older, wealthier men, and eventually settled in San Francisco’s gay Castro district. By the time he was 21 years old, he spoke seven languages and was becoming well acquainted with the finer things in life.

In 1997, Cunanan had sunk into a depression after one after another of his wealthy lovers left him. Some wonder if he discovered he was HIV positive and that perhaps this devastating news, combined with a brooding, obsessive jealousy, was what may have led him to his first victim, former lover Jeff Trail. The gruesome murder started a killing spree that left the FBI stumped.

Modus Operandi: Preyed on men of different ages who were connected to him. Two of his acts were for enjoyment.

Victim Count: 5 including Gianni Versace & Lee Miglin.

Conviction: Suicide.

Rather than going into hiding, Cunanan flouted authorities, killing three others before reentering the gay social scene, this time in Miami, Florida. Unable to catch Cunanan, authorities had all but given up, and the media seemed to have cooled as well. That July, Cunanan took the life of his next and final victim, world-famous fashion designer Gianni Versace. Police were blamed for not having warned the Miami gay community about Cunanan, and their every step was scrutinized following Versace’s murder. After the police had surrounded him on a houseboat in South Florida, Cunanan shot himself before he could be arrested. His deadly motives were never determined.

13

Name: Gacy, John Wayne AKA “Killer Clown” Gender: Male

Nationality: American Crime Span: 1972-1978 Place of Crimes: Norwood Park, Illinois.

Weapon: Knife and strangulation.

Modus Operandi: Would lure boys and young men into his ranch home who would later asphyxiate and kill.

Victim Count: 30 but number could be much higher.

G

Conviction: Execution by lethal injection.

acy’s victims were all young men, lured with the promise of work. He had a contracting company, so he could tell the boys and men he was going to hire them, and then have them come to his house so he could drug them and then rape and kill them. He would drug them, restrain them and then rape them. He hold use a sock or underwear down their throats to muffle their screams. While raping them he would use a board or rope to strangle them. He would the sometimes leave their bodies on the bed for a few days before burying them in his crawlspace. When the police investigated, they found 27 people under the floor borders. Upon

14

The ogo ilP “ ch as up s and ired ed e p s s d s in hen re para He p y d Gac wn” at ties. by Ste r o a ” l p t C n’s l “I dre nove King. e h t

further investigation, they found a few more bodies around the property and in the river. Not all of Gacy’s victims were killed. One man, Jeffrey Ringall, survived and told police his story. He just got back from vacation, and wanted to explore a trendy part of Chicago.

That’s when he had the misfortune of running into a man that would change his life forever. Ringall got into Gacy’s car after Gacy offered to go for a drive and share a joint. While on the drive, Gacy shoved a chloroform rag into Ringall face. He spent 6 days a in the hospital with a variety of physical injuries, and severe emotional trauma. He was lucky to survive.

Name: Hindley, Myra Gender: Female Nationality: British Crime Span: 1963-1965 Place of Crimes: Manchester, England.

Weapon: Knife.

Modus Operandi: Would give rides to teenagers alongside her boyfriend, Ian Brady, then torture and kill.

Victim Count: 5 children.

Conviction: Life in prison.

M

s. Hindley said that her role in the killings was to abduct the children and that she had not taken part in the murders or sexual assaults. She was charged in the murders of Edward Evans and Lesley Ann Downey, as an accessory in the murder of John Kilbride. In jail, she said Mr. Brady had beaten and blackmailed her and threatened to kill her relatives if she did not help him. The trial judge, Fenton Atkinson, said more of the blame lay with Mr. Brady than with Ms. Hindley.

“Though I believe that Brady is wicked beyond belief, without hope of redemption, I cannot feel the same is necessarily true of Hindley once she is removed from

Five children were reported missing, but the bodies of just three were found by the time the couple were arrested in 1965. The killings were called the Moors murders because of the couple’s practice of burying victims on the desolate Saddleworth Moor.

his influence,” he said. She came up for parole several times, and Lord Longford, a Labour peer famed for championing social outcasts and unpopular causes, worked for her release, saying she was “a genuinely reformed person.” “She may have done evil things, but which one of us haven’t?” he said. But at least one woman imprisoned with Ms. Hindley called her evil and cunning, and the mother of one of the victims told reporters that she would kill Ms. Hindley if she were ever released. Ms. Hindley remained in prison. She once said: “I know I could be out one week before someone assassinated me. But at least I would have had a week of freedom.”

15

Name: Ridgway, Gary Leon AKA “The Green River Killer” Gender: Male Nationality: American Crime Span: 1982-2001 Place of Crimes: Washington and Oregon.

Weapon: Ligatures.

Modus Operandi: Preyed on sex workers and women in vulnerable circumstances, like underage runaways.

Victim Count: 49, confessed to 75-80.

R

Conviction: Life imprisonment without parole.

idgway’s slayings began in 1982, when young runaways and prostitutes began disappearing from state Route 99 in south King County, Washington. He brought many of them to his home and strangled them, then left them in woodsy, remote sites. The first few bodies turned up along the now-notorious Green River.

Dubbed the Green River Killer, Ridgway eluded the law until 2001, when King County sheriff Dave Reichert, the first officer assigned to the case in 1982, called a meeting to re-examine evidence using newly developed DNA-testing technology. The analysis produced a match between evidence from the victims and Ridgway, and he was charged with four counts

16

The press gave him his nickname after the first five victims were found in the Green River before his identity was known. He strangled his victims, usually by hand.

After strangling them, he would dump their bodies in forested and overgrown areas in King County.

of aggravated murder in December 2001. Ridgway eventually pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first-degree murder. Facing the prospect of execution, Ridgway made a deal with investigators to revealed where he’d hidden the bodies of several of the young women who’d never been found while also agreeing to plead guilty to any future cases where his confession could be substantiated by evidence. He was sentenced to life in prison in December 2003, having committed more murders than any serial killer in U.S. history. An additional body was found in 2011, with Ridgway receiving another life sentence. He claimed in 2013 to have murdered 75-80 women.

Name: Gein, Edward Theodore Gender: Male Nationality: American Crime Span: 1954-1957 Place of Crimes: Wisconsin.

Weapon: 0.32 Caliber Revolver

E

Some of the human skin artifacts that were found in Gein’s house out of his victims were a pair of gloves, a wastebasket, bowls made out of human skulls, human face masks, a lampshade made from the skin of a human face, and a corset made out of a female torso.

d Gein grew up in a repressive household dominated by a controlling mother. Following her death in 1945, his mental health disintegrated. After Gein was apprehended as a suspect in a 1957 murder, the investigation of his home yielded a highly disturbed man who kept human organs and fashioned clothing and accessories out of body parts. He spent the rest of his life institutionalized, his story fueling the inspiration of such famous movie characters as Norman Bates (Psycho), Buffalo Bill (The Silence of the Lambs) and Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre). Obsessively devoted to his mother, Gein never left home or dated women.

However, after she died in late 1945, he became in-

Modus Operandi: Kidnapped and then shot women, who would later cook and make artifacts with their bodies.

Victim Count: 2 confirmed, but police found mutilated rests of many more even from dug up graves.

Conviction: Declared mentally ill and was sent to an institution. creasingly deranged. Now living alone, he left her room neat and untouched, while the rest of the home fell into squalor, and he developed an interest in anatomy books. Gein managed to support himself as a handyman and – despite his odd behavior – as a babysitter.

Meanwhile, a few residents from the general area had mysteriously disappeared over the years. Among them was Mary Hogan, who ran a tavern in nearby Pine Grove that Gein regularly frequented. On November 16, 1957, Bernice Worden was reported missing from her hardware store in Plainfield, with the cash register also gone and a trail of blood leading out the back. Gein was completely responsible for this crime.

17

What is happening today?

It’s almost incredible to believe that there’s still serial killers on the loose.

Despite popular representations of killers who just can’t stop murdering, a serial killer will often stop for years at a time. In those cases, a clutch of bodies is found with evidence that indicates that a single killer murdered them all within a short time frame. But if no other evidence comes forward after that, there’s not much police can do except wait for the next spree. Even if authorities can figure out who might have committed multiple murders, once a serial killer has been identified, they often go underground or leave the area.

There are several active serial killers still on the loose today. A few sprees, like the “Smiley Face Killer,” might not be murders at all, but suspicious accidents that only seem related. Other stories involve single murders that may or may not be connected to a serial killer who has struck before, like the Eastbound Strangler or the Chillicothe Murders.

Whatever the case, serial killers are rare - but they do exist. Here are five sprees that might still be going on.

Hopefully police can catch these murderers before they strike again.

18

The Long Island Killer Long Island’s remote Gilgo Beach was the scene of a horror show in December 2010. That’s when a Suffolk County police officer, looking for the remains of a missing woman, found a mass grave containing the remains of four young women. With six other suspected victims, including a child, found in the area in 2011, the so-called Long Island Serial Killer (also called the Gilgo Beach Killer) is one of the most prolific serial killers currently at large. At least seven more possible victims were found, including two discovered as late as 2013.

The case is currently at a standstill, with victims’ families desperate for closure. The NYPD had to bring in the FBI for help.

The Chillicothe Killer The small Ohio town of Chillicothe has been the scene of at least six female disappearances, with four bodies found dumped in local creeks or streams. The most recent victim was found in June 2015. The first victim disappeared a year earlier. Several of the women were said to be dealing with drug addiction and involved in sex work, and it’s possible they were contacted online, killed, and moved after their deaths.

The Smiley Face Killer Supposedly responsible for the drowning of over 40 students in the Midwest and on the east coast since 1997, the Smiley Face Killer plunges young, intoxicated, virile college men into icy water, and leaves a smiley face drawn on a wall near where the bodies were dumped.

However, it’s not at all clear if there actually is a Smiley Face Killer, or if the victims may have drown due to misadventure, possibly brought on by being drunk. Two purported victims have been identified as homicides, but no suspect was ever found in either death. As recently as 2016, the drowning of 22-year-old Zachary Marr (last seen outside a bar in Boston) was thought to be linked to the Smiley Face Killer as was the death of 24-year-old Matthew Genovese in Hoboken. Both police and pathologists continue to argue whether there’s a killer or network of killers on the loose, or just a series of coincidental accidents.

Pedro López

Colombian Pedro López is one of the most prolific serial killers in history. In fact, he’s been charged with 110 murders, and he confessed to 200 more - all the killings were of young women who he raped first. Lopez was arrested in 1980 and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to the maximum penalty Ecuador had at the time: 16 years.

He was released in 1994, two years early, for “good behavior” and deported to Colombia, where he was declared insane and institutionalized for three more years.

Lopez was declared sane and released in 1998. He has since vanished, though he’s suspected in a 2002 murder, and has likely continued killing.

Highway of Tears Murders

From 1969 through 2011, at least 19 women were murdered and dumped along a remote stretch of Canada’s Highway 16 in British Columbia. It’s believed that the women were picked up hitchhiking, as the area is extremely poor and the people there have little access to public transportation. The most recent victim was found in 2011, and there are as many as 20 more suspected killings. It’s highly likely that one or more serial killers are currently active in that area.

Be careful.

19

Designed by: Marycruz Barranco Information: New York Times, Biography, Grunge, Dr. Mike Aamodt, Wikipedia, History.com, Psychology Today, Ranker, The Atlantic, The Crime Mag. Photography: Marycruz Barranco & María Guzmán Illustration: Marycruz Barranco Model: André Ibarguen Other photos: Web This is an academic project not intended for commercial purposes.

Universidad de las Américas Puebla.

Contact: maricruzbrm@gmail.com