A serial killer is a person who murders two or more people, in two or more separate events over a period of time, for primarily psychological reasons. There are gaps of time between the killings, which may range from a few hours to many years. This list shows serial killers from the 20th century to present day by number of victims (list of serial killers before 1900). In many cases, the exact number of victims assigned to a serial killer is not known, and even if that person is convicted of a few, there can be the possibility that he/she killed many more.
Due to the complex nature of serial killers, their crimes, discrepancies caused by geographic location and/or time, and the investigations related to these persons results in difficulties in organization and ranking.
Luis Garavito is a child-murderer, torture-killer, and rapist known as “La Bestia” (“The Beast”). Convicted of killing 138 victims but suspected of murdering over 400 victims, mostly street children. Garavito served one of his sentences, but there are another 20 prosecutions against him preventing his release. Additionally, the Ley de Infancia y Adolescenciaeliminates the possibility of his release.
Pedro López is also a child-murderer and rapist, known as “The Monster of the Andes”. Targeted young girls, between the ages of 8 and 12. Arrested in 1980 and convicted in 1983 of killing 110 young girls but confessed to killing 300, exact total unknown. Though he may be the most prolific serial killer of the 20th century, he was released in 1998. Current whereabouts unknown.
Finally, the Colombian Daniel Camargo, is a child-murderer, believed to have possibly raped and killed over 150 victims, primarily young virgin girls. Confessed to killing 72 victims and incarcerated with Pedro Alonso Lopez. Considered to be intelligent and believed to have been motivated to kill from his stepmother abusing him as a child. He strangled young girls in Colombia and was arrested, but he escaped from prison and he started killing in Ecuador; rearrested in 1989, he was killed in jail.
