Colombia: Serial Killer Known as 'The Beast,' Who Killed 190 Children, Dies Inside a Hospital

Colombia is no stranger to serial killers, and one of its most infamous, Luis Alfredo Garavito, nicknamed "The Beast," has now passed away inside a hospital.

As a serial killer, Luis Alfredo Garavito was mostly active in the 1990s. He has confessed to murdering over 190 children in his killing spree, all between the ages of 8 and 16 and were from low-income families.

The National Penitentiary and Prison Institute in Colombia confirmed his death inside a local hospital in Valledupar, in northern Colombia, where he was imprisoned, according to the Associated Press. However, his cause of death was not immediately revealed.

He was so infamous in Colombia that when his sentence was almost up and the possibility of him gaining his freedom seemingly becoming imminent, it caused much concern among Colombians. This forced then-President Ivan Duque to reject this scenario and promised the people of Colombia that he would have to "stay in prison" as long as he was president.

"The Beast" remained in prison and continued to serve his sentence inside a Colombian prison until his recent death inside the Nuevo Santo Tomas Clinic. He was 66 years old.

'The Beast' Was Considered the Worst Serial Killer in Colombia

Colombia has its fair share of infamous serial killers, including Pedro Alonso Lopez, also known as the "Monster of the Andes." However, Luis Alfredo Garavito, nicknamed "La Bestia" or "The Beast" in Colombia, is considered by many in the country as the worst of them all.

According to Voz Media, Garavito lured, raped, and killed children across 13 departments all over Colombia. His rampage of rape and murder went on for seven years before finally getting captured in 1999 when he was caught trying to rape a minor.

He was then linked to other crimes across Colombia before confessing to the murder of more than 190 children. He was also linked to cases of disappearances of minors in Pereira, Armenia, and Tunja. His killing spree reportedly encompassed 59 towns all over Colombia.

After confessing, he apologized to the families of the victims during a court hearing, infamously saying, "I want to ask for forgiveness for everything I did and I am going to confess. Yes, I killed them and not only those, I killed others."

Colombian Serial Killer, 'The Beast,' Was Diagnosed With Cancer

While no official reason for the infamous serial killer's death was announced, El Pais noted that Garavito was diagnosed with cancer just a few months ago. However, it remains unclear if this was really the cause of his death.

"The Beast" was sentenced to 1,800 years in prison for all of his crimes, meaning that after his sentencing, he actually spent the rest of his life behind bars. However, Colombia only allows a maximum of 40 years in prison to be served but the infamous serial killer did not live long enough to finish his sentence.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Luis Alfredo Garavito, the beast of Colombia - The Enigma