Luis Garavito

Luis Alfredo Garavito Cubillos (1957–2023) was a Colombian serial killer and sex offender known as “La Bestia” (“The Beast”).

Luis Alfredo Garavito Cubillos (1957–2023) was a Colombian serial killer and sex offender known as “La Bestia” (“The Beast”). He was convicted of murdering boys and young men in Colombia in the 1990s, and later confessed to additional killings. Accounts of the total number of victims vary across sources, but he is widely described as one of the most prolific serial killers in history.

Crimes and investigation

Garavito’s crimes were committed mainly in western Colombia between 1992 and 1999. Reports describe a pattern of targeting boys and young men, often from vulnerable backgrounds, before his arrest in 1999 and subsequent confessions.

Trial and sentence

He was convicted on multiple counts of murder and sexual abuse, with reports citing a sentence totaling more than 1,800 years. Colombian sentencing rules meant the practical time served was far shorter than the nominal sentence.

Victim count

Published figures vary because different investigations and sources count confirmed, convicted, and confessed killings differently. Britannica gives 189 convicted murders, while other sources report at least 193 confirmed victims or more than 200 confessed killings.

Death

Garavito died in hospital while imprisoned in Valledupar on 12 October 2023. News reports and encyclopedic sources identified the place and date of death, though some differ on the medical cause.