Colombia's Luis Garavito, the World’s Deadliest Serial Killer, Is up for Parole This Year

Some of the world's notorious serial killers, like Pedro Alonso Lopez, Daniel Camargo Barbosa, and Luis Garavito, come from Colombia.

Garavito has killed more than 180 boys, putting his name at the top of the list of notorious criminals not just in the South American country but worldwide.

The Colombian serial killer was convicted of murdering 189 boys in the 1990s, with most of his victims living in poor neighborhoods and having families who could not afford to support them.

According to Britannica, it led observers to consider that it was one of the reasons why the victims' disappearances were ignored or overlooked.

Garavito was the eldest of seven children raised in western Colombia. His father and several neighbors reportedly abused him.

Many of his victims were between the ages of eight and 16, with their bodies brutally mutilated and showing signs of sexual assault.

Colombian Serial Killer Luis Garavito Caught

Duran Saavedra Aldemar started to investigate the case. Aldemar was a 31-year-old criminal investigator with the Fiscalía General de la Nación, which is equivalent to the attorney general's office.

Aldemar discovered there were 13 unsolved cases from years back, with bodies of different poor boys found with knife wounds to the neck, chest, and groin.

However, the detective told VICE News that their directors at the time did not believe that there could be a serial killer in Colombia. Aldemar said they "never imagined we have serial killers in Colombia."

Aldemar and his team eventually found the serial killer and discovered that it was then-42-year-old Garavito who befriended young boys and lured them to go with him by offering them small jobs.

The case had a breakthrough when a man contacted them saying he had been attacked as a young boy by someone who promised him giving work by moving cattle.

But instead of offering work, he had been tied up, raped, and tortured. However, the attacker was so drunk that he fell asleep, which allowed the boy to escape.

The teen who reported the incident saw his attacker while buying lunch in a restaurant. He realized the cashier was the man who attacked him.

When he returned to the restaurant with his uncle to confront the man, the attacker walked off from work and vanished.

From there, Aldemar managed to get the man's name from the former restaurant owner he interviewed. The owner said the name of his former cashier was Luis Alfredo Garavito.

Aldemar and his team eventually caught up with Garavito and found him in Villavicencio City, near Bogota.

Aldemar said Garavito's victims were always "blondish" skin and hair, with blue or green colored eyes. The detective noted that the Colombian serial killer liked "children with cute faces."

Serial Killer Luis Garavito of Colombia Is Eligible for Parole This Year

For murdering more than 190 people, Luis Garavito was sentenced to 1,853 years and nine days, the longest prison term in Colombia's judicial history.

However, the country's law changed and limited imprisonment to 40 years. Garavito's sentence was further shortened to 22 years as he had helped authorities find the victims' bodies.

According to an August 2022 UNILAD report, the Colombian serial killer is scheduled to become eligible for parole this year.

Garavito initially confessed to raping, torturing, and killing 140 boys between 1992 and 1999, but later proven to be 193 in total. However, he is suspected of murdering more than 300 victims.

Garavito, also called "The Beast," has the highest number of victims among serial killers in the world.

He previously claimed to have felt a force within himself that compelled him to murder children after he also experienced abuse and violence when he was a child.

Garavito reportedly experienced psychosis, paranoia, and depression. The Colombian serial killer has sought psychiatric help on several occasions.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Luis Garavito (The Beast) - Serial Killer Documentary - From Red Square Documentaries