100 Murder Cases

Luis Alfredo Garavito

Luis Alfredo Garavito, perhaps the deadliest serial killer of all time, preyed on young Colombian boys in the 1980s and 1990s. His crimes were made possible in part by another tragedy: the casualties and losses of the Colombian civil war. In the years following the conflict, the streets were overrun with homeless children and orphans who eked out a living by picking up odd jobs on the streets. In that climate, Garavito had his choice of victims. He frequently disguised himself as a farmer or a priest and approached boys, usually between the ages of six and sixteen, with a promise of work for cash. He then lured them to a remote location and held them prisoner, raping, torturing, and eventually killing his victims. He murdered freely for years, knowing his victims had no one waiting at home to file a police report. It wasn't until the police began to discover mass graves in 1997 that the Colombian authorities realized they had a serial killer on the loose.

 When he was finally tried in 1999, Garavito confessed to the deaths of 140 children, while some estimates place his total number of victims at more than 300.

And he could be up for release in 2021. Because Colombia does not allow life imprisonment, Garavito was sentenced to just 40 years in prison, which was further reduced to 22 after plea deals and rewards for good behavior.

Upon release, Garavito plans to run for political office and start a program to help abused children. He is an expert, after all.