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10 Notorious Mexican Serial Killers

When we hear of serial killers, we automatically think of the United States of America as it is the country with the highest number of serial killers in the world but Mexico has also had its fair share of serial killers over the past decades. Serial killers have terrorized people in different parts of Mexico and caused a lot of irreparable damage to the families of the victims and society at large.

Therefore, this article will explore the 10 notorious serial killers from Mexico to give the reader insight into the heinous crimes they committed and the impact they left. Furthermore, this article will be a good read for true crime enthusiasts as there is not a lot of information available on Mexican serial killers.

1 Juana Barraza

A picture of Juana Barraza, the Mexican serial killer.  , CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

The serial killer was famously known as La Mataviejitas which translates to The Old Lady Killer. She got her nickname because her victims were elderly women. Juana was active between 1999 and 2006 and during this time, she would get her victims by gaining their trust and when she was sure that they did not see her as a threat, she would strangle them and then rob them. Her modus operandi included the use of ligatures, stockings and stethoscopes to strangle them. She was finally apprehended in 2006 and was charged with 16 counts of murder. She claimed that her troubled childhood was the reason why she committed the murders. She was found guilty and sentenced to 759 years in prison.

2 Alfredo Ballí Trevino

Popularly known as the Ogarrio Serial Killer, Alfredo was a Mexican serial killer who was active in the late 2000s in Monterrey. Alfredo would perform gruesome acts on his victims that involved dismemberment and mutilation after he had sexually assaulted them. He was arrested when his last victim escaped his clutches and went to report him to law enforcement authorities. The was charged with several counts of murder and other crimes and was found guilty. He was sentenced to 600 years in prison. His arrest shed light on the challenges that the government had in addressing gender-based violence in the country.

3 Gregorio Cárdenas Hernández

A picture of the Strangler of Tacuba. , FAL, via Wikimedia Commons

The Mexican serial killer was active in Mexico City in the 1980s and the 1990s. he was popularly known as the Strangler of Tacuba. Gregorio confessed to killing more than 17 victims which comprised mostly women. His modus operandi was strangulation and he targeted vulnerable women who were poor or worked as street vendors and maids. He would then lure them to abandoned places and proceed to attack them. He was finally apprehended in 1999 and sentenced to 38 years in prison.

4 Daniel Arizmendi Lopez

Daniel Arizmendi was also known as El Mochaorejas. He was a former cult leader and serial killer that operated in Mexico between 1995 and 2005 which is quite a long time. He was involved in a group called Defenders of Christ where he manipulated his followers to commit crimes on his behalf. Alfredo himself murdered at least 8 people and his method of operation involved dismemberment and mutilation. His victims were a mixture of men and women. He was finally arrested in 2005 and sentenced to several life terms after he was found guilty.

5 Fransico Guererro Perez

A picture of an inmate in handcuffs. , , via Wikimedia Commons

The Mexican serial killer was active in the 1990s and during this time, he committed heinous crimes around Mexico City. His victims were mainly young boys and street children and during the time that he was active, he was confused about having killed at least 15 people. He would lure his victims by promising them jobs then turn on them and perform horrific acts on them. He tortured his victims for a long time before finally killing them. He was arrested in 1997 and charged with the murders and found guilty. He was sentenced to several years in prison. His crimes showed the challenges that street children go through

Check out this article on the 10 infamous Canadian serial killers here

6 Jose Luis Calva Zepeda

This serial killer was active in Mexico City for a span of two years between 2004 and 2006. He targeted young women as his victims. However, he used a different method to lure his victims compared to other Mexican serial killers. He used dating sites and social media to look for his victims and when he met with the, he dismembered their bodies and also performed necrophiliac acts. He would then proceed and photograph the bodies of his victims. He was arrested and convicted for the murder of one woman but when he was arraigned in court, he confessed to killing other women. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison.

7 Rafael Ramirez

A mugshot of Rafael Ramirez. , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Popularly known as the Railroad Killer, Rafael Ramirez was a serial killer that operated in both the United States of America and Mexico. He was active between 1997 and 1999. During these two years, he committed a range of crimes from murder, burglary and robbery. He targeted people that were near the rail tracks. A manhunt was launched between the two countries and in 1999, he surrendered to law enforcement authorities in the United States of America and was charged with several counts of murder. He was sentenced to deal and was executed by lethal injection in 2006.

8 Gilberto Vallejo Chavez

This serial killer was famously known as the Mummy. He operated in Mexico City and was active between 2009 and 2011. Gilberto would target sex workers and homeless people by luring them into his house where he committed gruesome acts on the victims. He earned his nickname because he was known for wrapping his victims in a blanket after he had killed them. He was arrested in 2012 and convicted of multiple counts of murder and sentenced to 100 years in prison.

9 Fernando Martinez Gaytan

A picture of a person in handuffs. Fernando was arrested in 2003. , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Fernando Martinez was a Mexican serial killer who was active in Mexico City during the 2000s. he is said to have killed at least 9 young men after luring them with the promise of money. Fernando sexually assaulted his victims and then strangled them to death before disposing of their bodies. He was finally arrested in 2003 and he confessed to the murders. Fernando was sentenced to life in prison.

10 Raul Osiel Marroquin

Also known as El Rastrojo, Raul was a criminal who was linked to several murders in Ciudad Juarez. Raul was part of a drug cartel and was famed for his brutal and violent actions that included dismemberment and strangulation. Raul was arrested in January 2006 in Mexico City and sentenced to 128 years in prison. Interestingly, Raul stated that he was not sorry for his actions and if given a chance he would do it again which is quite alarming.

Mexico has had its share of gruesome people that have caused chaos in society and left ireparable impact. Some of them looked liked the boy next door who were not expected to be serial killers and thus stun the society. The article is instrumental in showing the reader the impact and carnage that serial killers have caused. However, the list is not exhaustive but a good place to start when venturing into the true crime genre.

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