Goofy 'Beast'

Welcome back to another post for the Criminally curious. Today's Subject of Interest has been named 'The beast' because of the heinous nature of his crimes, which included torture and sexual assault along with his target group (Victimology).

Luis Alfredo Garavito is a Colombian serial killer who is believed to have killed over 138 young boys between 1992 and 1999.  

Garavito preyed on impoverished and vulnerable children, often luring them away from their homes with promises of money or gifts. He would then torture, rape, and kill them, sometimes dismembering their bodies and scattering their remains in remote areas.

After years of eluding the authorities, Garavito was finally arrested in 1999 and confessed to the murders of 138 boys and assault of 147. He was convicted of killing 138 children and sentenced to 1,853 years in prison, the longest sentence in Colombian history. However, under Colombian law, he can only serve a maximum of 60 years in prison.






Childhood

Luis Alfredo Garavito Cubillos was born in Genova, Quindío, on 25 January 1957 to Manuel Antonio Garavito and Rosa Delia Cubillos. The eldest son and second child of seven siblings, he had three brothers and three sisters. Garavito alleged his father to be adulterous, drunken, macho, very strict, and often physically and emotionally abusive to him throughout his childhood, and further described his mother as a violent woman who showed him little affection and care as a child. Due to the ongoing armed conflict in Colombia at the time, the family relocated to Ceilán, Valle del Cauca in the north of the department before Garavito entered primary school.

As a result of his father's drinking and extramarital affairs and his mother's aggressive temperament, they frequently fought verbally and physically in the presence of their children, whom they largely neglected. He later said he “had the misfortune of being in a family that spent its time arguing, fighting, and throwing words of great calibre"

He displayed signs of unstable, criminal and abnormal mental health in his adolescence when he stoned birds to death, molested his younger siblings who shared his bed and room, and showed excessive aggressiveness.


MO (Modus Operandi)

His MO involved luring young boys between the ages of 8 and 16, with promises of presents and money. After gaining their trust, he would take them to a secluded area/location to sexually abuse them, torture and ultimately kill them. His killings were often characterized by extreme violence and anger with evidence of mutiny and dismemberment. 

He was a meticulous planner and would scout and secure location to carry out his depraved intentions beforehand and kept a detail record of his victims. He often made use of multiple personas, aliases and malicious manipulations to avoid suspicion and speculation.


I wholeheartedly agree with the name 'beast' associated with Garavito. We have previously talked about the whole Nurture Vs Nature concept in the making of a serial killer. Luis Garavito is considered one of the most prolific serial killers in Columbia. He had both nature and nurture (Abusive parents and household) paving path for his criminal tendencies. 

According to you, did he ever have a chance of turning out to be a regular Joe? Please leave a comment. Also think about what you make of his contrary behavioral traits? Anger issues with meticulous records of his victims and crimes?

Check out a feature film based on his arrest and conviction by the name 'The Shadow of the Beast' (La Sombre De La Bestia).

Also have a look at this article where Garavito has been listed as one of the most prolific serial killers of all times.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/luis-garavito



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