Luis Garavito

This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (July 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Luis Garavito
Mugshot taken on Apr. 23, 1999 by the regional Colombian agency
Born	Luis Alfredo Garavito Cubillos (1957-01-25) 25 January 1957 (age 64) Génova, Quindío, Colombia
Other names	The Beast Tribilín The Monster of Génova
Criminal penalty	1,853 years in prison reduced to 22 years for collaboration and the prohibition of life imprisonment in Colombia.
Details
Victims	138 confirmed, claimed 400[1][2]
Span of crimes	1992–1999
Country	Colombia
State(s)	Valle del Cauca, Boyacá, Meta Department, Quindío, Risaralda, Cundinamarca, Nariño, Huila, Caquetá, Antioquia and Caldas
Date apprehended	22 April 1999
Imprisoned at	EPAMS Valledupar - La Tramacúa

Luis Alfredo Garavito Cubillos (born 25 January 1957), also known as La Bestia ("The Beast") or Tribilín (named after the Disney character "Goofy"), is a Colombian pederast, rapist, necrophile, and serial killer. In 1999, he admitted to the rape, torture and murder of 138 boys and teenagers.^[3] His victims, based on the locations of skeletons listed on maps that Garavito drew in prison, could exceed 400; Garavito continues to confess to more murders. He has been described by local media as "the world's worst serial killer". The Guinness Book of World Records lists another Colombian, Pedro Alonso López, known in Colombia as ''The Monster of the Andes", as the largest-scale serial killer of modern times;^[4] however, in terms of the number of murder convictions, Harold Shipman tops the list followed by Garavito, with López third. The judicial body ruled that all Garavito's sentences total 1,853 years and nine days in jail.^[5]

Early life[]

Luis Alfredo Garavito was born in Génova, Colombia on January 25, 1957 to Manuel Antonio Garavito and Rosa Delia Cubillos. Manuel was described by Garavito as being a womanizer, a drunkard, and extremely physically and emotionally abusive to Garavito throughout his childhood. Growing up, Luis was referred to as an imbecile, bastard, and other pejoratives by his father Manuel. He recalled his father Manuel sleeping with him, and not with his mother at a young age, and allegedly being fondled by Manuel. Attending Simón Bolívar school in Ceilán, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, he was said to be shy and reserved, and often a target for bullies in spite of his violent temper.^[6]

Though Garavito's mother is unknown, it had been speculated from the community of Génova that Garavito's mother had been a long-time prostitute. During the time of working as a prostitute, Garavito's mother had been brutally abused by Garavito's father, who was a heavy alcoholic and would also abuse Garavito's siblings. Around this time, Garavito's father would force Garavito to watch his mother conduct in sexual intercourse with her clients, letting his mother's clients sexually abuse and molest Garavito. Under the influence of drugs, Garavito's mother would not do anything due to the abuse and torture of Garavito's alcoholic father.^[7] When Garavito was "six or seven," he even recalled being strapped to a tree and beaten by Manuel as Luis attempted to defend his mother Rosa.^[8]

When Garavito was around 11 years old, his father forbade him to go to school in favor of making money to sustain the family. This crushed the young boy, who was also forbidden to have friends or a girlfriend by his father Manuel. He would then be subject to brutal sexual abuse by a local drug-store owner and neighbor, lasting from age 12 to 14. When Garavito was first abused, his dysfunction had led him to murdering and dissecting two birds. Soon after this, Garavito would find himself sexually attracted to children and subsequently fondle his younger brothers and sisters. He would then be raped again by another neighbor, who showed him heterosexual pornography that apparently disgusted Garavito.^[9] Because of his rebelliousness and sexual inclinations, Garavito would be kicked out on a repeated basis throughout his teens, once by his mother for attempting to rape a boy, and again at 16 for an attempted assault on a 6-year-old boy in Bogotá. Garavito was not kicked out for the rape attempt however, but for rebelliousness, as his father Manuel reasoned that "if there are no women" then Garavito was presumably in his right to assault a young boy.^[10]

At 16 years old Garavito started working as soon as he had enough money to survive on the streets,^[11] traveling a substantial amount to keep up with the job demands in Colombia. He worked as a street vendor and migrant worker, developing various relationships with women despite never having been known to have had intercourse with them.^[12] Many of these women had children, who Garavito was known to have treated kindly, in addition to being a loving boyfriend. A struggling alcoholic, Garavito was known by his friends to be kind, yet easily angered.^[13]

Adulthood[]

Garavito would be plagued with symptoms of psychosis, paranoia, and depression as a result of the extreme abuses he had faced as a child and adolescent. For the majority of the 1970s and the 1980s, Garavito would sexually molest children of both sexes as he spiraled into mental illness; his attraction would soon turn pederast however. He would support himself as a migrant worker, and fall in love with a girl from Trujillo. Suffering from depression and suicidal tendencies, he expressed a desire to have children.^[14]

Like his father Manuel, Garavito became an alcoholic and soon had to participate in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. He began a relationship with a woman named Claudia, who he described as being the first woman he'd ever wanted to engage with physically, though his relationships with women were always short-lived as a result of his mental illness. Drifting from his family, he was only close to his sister Esther, who avoided him due to his alcoholism.^[15] After losing his job at a bakery, Garavito would then attempt suicide and spend at least 5 years in and out of psychiatric facilities in Colombia, primarily for depression despite suffering from "malicious voices in his head."^[16]

In late 1980, Garavito would escalate his habit of molesting children at least once a month, to torturing the children with methods used on himself as a child by his abuser. He would then write the name of the molested child in a blue notebook, and pray for them fervently while beating his chest. Despite this, Garavito developed an interest in esoteric study, tarot readings, and Satanism. He would visit palm readers and other occultic practitioners before deciding that they were just as clueless as he was.^[17]

Discovering his biography in a red book, he would also become fond of Adolf Hitler. This fondness would turn into idolization, expressing admiration for Hitler, the mass graves, and that he "liked the concentration camps."^[18] Committing his first murder of a boy named Juan Carlos on Oct. 2, 1992, he began to wear various disguises in order to evade identification and arrest. In 1995, Garavito would suffer from a hard fall, breaking his leg which never healed properly, leaving him with a permanent limp that helped to provide investigators with evidence against him in his 1999 trial. ^[19]

Victim type and killing patterns[]

Garavito's victims were clearly identified by their age, sex, and social status. Garavito targeted boys between the ages of 6 to 13 (with the single exception of a crippled 16-year-old boy) who were either homeless, peasants, or orphaned. He would approach the young boys, either on the crowded streets or alone in the countryside, and lure them away by bribing them with small gifts such as money, candy or odd jobs.^[20] He had a preference for lighter skinned boys, with coloured eyes. Born and raised in the heavily Spanish-influenced Paisa region of Colombia, Luis knew where to find boys that fit his criteria.^[21] He offered easy work for money and even disguised himself as different characters who could be seen as legitimately offering work to the boy, such as a priest, a farmer, a homeless man, a street vendor, a drug dealer, an elderly man, and a gambler.^[22] To prevent suspicions about his activities from developing, Garavito would change his disguise often.

Once he had the trust of a child, Garavito would walk with the boy until they were tired and vulnerable, which then made them easy to handle. First, their hands were bound. Then, Garavito would remove all their clothes, and proceed to torture, rape, and sometimes decapitate them. According to Garavito, he made a "pact with the devil" and Satanic ritual was also incorporated into the murders of the children.^[23] Usually, the boy would endure prolonged rape and torture by having his buttocks stabbed and sharpened objects inserted into his anus; his testicles were often severed and placed into his mouth. They were burned with a lighter, stomped on, and often showed cuts in the back, belly, and throat. The bodies of the children were all found completely naked, and all bore bite marks and signs of anal penetration; bottles of lubricant were found near the bodies, along with empty liquor bottles. Most corpses showed signs of prolonged torture.^[24]

Investigation[]

Beginning in 1992, boys between the ages of 6 through 13 (with the exception of a 16 year-old handicapped boy) began disappearing rapidly from the streets of Colombia. Due to the decades-long civil war, many children in Colombia were poor, homeless, or orphaned. For years, these murders had gone unnoticed because many of the victims had no police report filed on their disappearance. Clusters of bodies had begun popping up all over Colombia, yet authorities did not take much notice until 1997, when mass graves of as many as 41 children were uncovered.^[20][25]

This large number of missing children called for a widespread investigation, as these killings were not confined to a specific area. In February 1998, outside the town of Génova, Colombia, the bodies of two naked children were found lying next to each other on a hill. The next day, only meters away, another child's naked body was found. All three bodies had their hands bound and bore signs of sexual abuse. The victims' necks were severely cut, and bruises were on their backs, genitals, legs, and buttocks. The murder weapon was found in the same area as the bodies. A note that had been found at the crime scene had an address written on it; this information led them to Garavito's girlfriend.^[26]

She was contacted, but told police that she had not seen Garavito in months. She did, however, give to the police a bag that he had left in her possession, which contained a number of Garavito's belongings. These items included pictures of young boys, detailed journals of his murders, tally marks of his victims, and bills. This new information led them to Garavito's residence, but the property was vacant. Detectives believed that Garavito was either traveling for work or away attempting to find his next victim. He was picked up by the local police just a few days later, on an unrelated charge of attempted rape against an adolescent boy. A homeless man had been close enough to observe the struggle between Garavito and the child and felt it necessary to rescue the adolescent. Garavito was arrested and, unbeknownst to them, the police had in their custody the man who was the most wanted killer in Colombia.

Arrest, confession, and sentencing[]

Garavito was arrested on 22 April 1999, on separate charges of attempted rape.^[26] Garavito was questioned about the local killings and his attempted rape charges. Police speculated that Garavito had planned on killing the young boy if the bystander had not intervened. After a short interrogation, detectives suspected Garavito of being La Bestia, although Garavito had insisted on his innocence. The detailed description of his killings brought Garavito to tears.^[22]

For Colombia's Justice Department, Garavito's confession was not enough. Garavito had an eye condition that was rare and only found in men in a particular age group. His glasses were specifically designed for his unique condition. These particular glasses were found at the site of a mass grave. Garavito also left behind empty liquor bottles, his underwear, and occasionally his shoes. DNA was found on the victims, along with the other items left behind. Police scheduled the entire jail where Garavito was being detained to get an eye exam; the outcome of his eye exam would help police pair the glasses to Garavito. By making it mandatory for all the prisoners, it reduced Garavito's suspicion and kept him from lying about his eyesight.^[22]

While Garavito was out of his cell, detectives took DNA samples from his pillow and living area. The DNA found on the victims was a match to the DNA found in Garavito's cell. Garavito confessed to murdering 140 children and was charged with killing 172 altogether throughout Colombia.^[27] He was found guilty on 138 of the 172 accounts; the others are ongoing. Garavito was sentenced to 1,853 years and 9 days in prison, the lengthiest sentence in Colombian history.^[28] However, Colombian law limits imprisonment to 40 years—and because Garavito helped police find the victims' bodies, his sentence was further reduced to 22 years.^[29]

Garavito is currently serving his sentence in a maximum-security prison in Valledupar in the department of El Cesar in Colombia.^[30] He is held separately from all other prisoners because it is feared that he would be killed immediately. He is scheduled to become eligible for parole in 2023.^[31] Colombian law, however, says that those who have committed crimes against children are not eligible to receive any "benefits with ( ⁠i.e. from) justice" and are required to spend at least 60 years of their sentence in prison ⁠— ⁠in Garavito's case this would mean that the national maximum 40-year imprisonment limit, and especially the reduction to 22 years for helping police find victims' bodies, both considered "justice benefits", would not be applicable.^[26]

Public response[]

Many Colombians criticized the possibility of Garavito's early release. In recent years, Colombians have increasingly felt that Garavito's sentence was not sufficient punishment for his crimes. Some have argued he deserves either life in prison or the death penalty, neither of which exist in Colombia. Colombian law had no provision or method to impose a sentence longer than what Garavito received, which was seen as a deficiency in the law caused by the failure to address the possibility of a serial killer in Colombian society. The law has since increased the maximum penalty for such crimes to 60 years in prison.^[32]

The TV host and journalist Guillermo Prieto La Rotta, popularly known as Pirry, interviewed Garavito for a show which aired on 11 June 2006. Pirry mentioned that, during the interview, Garavito tried to minimize his actions and expressed intent to start a political career in order to help abused children. Pirry also described Garavito's conditions in prison and commented that due to good behavior, he could probably apply for early release within three years. Today, Luis Alfredo Garavito aims to become a minister, and enter politics in order to help abused children. He is eligible for parole in 2023, though his release is unlikely.^[33]

See also[]

• List of serial killers by number of victims

References[]

Notes[]

Bibliography[]

• "172 niños víctimas de Luis Alfredo Garavito" (in Spanish). Fiscalía General de la Nación. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
• "Man admits killing 140 children in Colombia". CNN. 30 October 1999. Archived from the original on 7 September 2005.
• "Pirry entrevista a Luis Alfredo Garavito". Universia (in Spanish). 7 June 2006. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011.