The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers (17 page)

They got their wish on April 8, 1996, when 18-year-While rape was confirmed in only four cases, the pos-old Rosario García Leal was found raped and mutilated ture and nudity of several other corpses suggested sex-outside Ciudad Juárez. One suspect questioned in that ual assault. In cases where a cause of death could be case was Hector Olivares Villalba, a member of a local determined, five were stabbed, three strangled, three street gang called Los Rebeldes (“The Rebels”). In cus-shot, and two beaten.

tody, Olivares claimed he had participated in García’s Statistically, 1998 was the worst year so far, with 23

murder on December 7, 1995. Half a dozen Rebels unsolved murders logged by December. Authorities were involved, he said, including gang leader Sergio described the January death of 20-year-old Rosalina Armendariz Díaz (AKA “El Diablo”). Armed with Oli-Veloz Vasquez as “similar to 20 other murders in the vares’s confession (later recanted as a product of police city.” Six of the year’s victims remain unidentified. The torture), officers raided several nightclubs and detained killings reflected the usual mix of stabbings, stranglings, 300 persons. From that mob, they winnowed out nine gunshots, and immolation. Victim Rocio Barrazza Gal-Rebels, including Armendariz, Juan Contreras Jurado legos was killed on September 21, strangled in a patrol (“El Grande”), Carlos Hernández Molina, Carlos Bar-car parked outside the local police academy, by an offi-rientos Vidales, Romel Cerniceros García, Fernando cer assigned to the open investigation.

Guermes Aguirre, Luis Adrade, Jose Juárez Rosales, By 1998 the long-running investigation had become and Erika Fierro.

a fruitless numbers game. In May, Associated Press (AP) The nine, plus Olivares, were accused of plotting reports listed “more than 100 women raped and killed”

with Abdel Sharif to free him from prison by murderin Ciudad Juárez. A month later, AP raised the body ing local women and making it seem like the original count to 117. In October 1998, another AP report

“Ripper” was still at large. Police claimed that some of placed the official body count at 95, while a woman’s the Rebels had visited Sharif in jail and were paid for advocacy group called Women for Juárez estimated the their “copycat” crimes. Juan Contreras told detectives total somewhere between 130 and 150. Mexico’s

that Armendariz had sent him to collect $4,000 cash Human Rights Commission issued a scathing condem-from Sharif in prison. Later, Contreras claimed, he had nation of the police in 1998, but politicians suppressed joined Armendariz and other Rebels in the rape-mur-the report to avoid any adverse impact on impending der of a young woman known only as Lucy. Contreras state elections. Still clinging to suspect Abdel Sharif, subsequently recanted his statement, and all charges Attorney General Arturo Chávez told Reuters on June were dropped against suspects Cerniceros, Fierro, 10, 1998, that “police think another serial killer may be Guermes, Hernández, and Olivares. The remainder are at work due to similarities in three crimes this year.” At still awaiting trial (a slow process in Mexican courts), year’s end, on December 9, the AP reported: “At least and El Diablo earned a separate six-year prison term 17 bodies show enough in common—the way shoelaces for leading the February 1998 gang-rape of a 19-year-were tied together, where they were buried, how they old fellow inmate. The other Rebels claim they were were mutilated—that investigators say at least one ser-tortured by police, some displaying burn scars from ial killer is at work. And 76 other cases bear enough cigars and cigarettes. Authorities stand by their similarities that investigators say one or more copycats charges, blaming Sharif and the Rebels for 17 murders.

may be at work.”

Chihuahua’s medical examiner maintains that dental The first quarter of 1999 witnessed the unsolved casts from Armendariz “identically” match bite marks murders of at least eight victims. Abdel Sharif’s trial for
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CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico

the Castro murder, beginning on March 3, brought no advising Mexican authorities on the case, telling respite from carnage. In the predawn hours of March reporters that “of the 182 total deaths, 40 to 75 [vic-18, a 14-year-old girl staggered up to the door of a tims] had been sexually violated.”

stranger’s home on the city’s outskirts. Bloody and sob-A new mystery surfaced in December 1999, with disbing, she told a story of rape and near-murder, naming covery of a mass grave outside Ciudad Juárez, initially her attacker as maquiladora bus driver Jesús Guardado thought to contain as many as 100 corpses. In fact, it Marquez (AKA “El Dracula” or “El Tolteca”). A back-yielded only nine, including three U.S. citizens. Inclu-ground check on Guardado revealed a prior conviction sion of Americans among the dead prompted a new line for sexual assault. By the time police went looking for of inquiry. “Still a mystery,” the
Dallas Morning News
him, he had vanished with his pregnant wife, but declared, “is what happened to nearly 200 people, Durango authorities captured him several days later.

including 22 U.S. citizens who, in many cases, vanished Guardado allegedly confessed to multiple murders and after being detained by men with Mexican police uni-named four accomplices: Victor Moreno Rivera (“El forms or credentials.” Those vanished persons, collec-Narco”), Augustin Toribio Castillo (“El Kiani”), tively dubbed Los Desaparecidos (“The Disappeared”), Bernardo Hernando Fernández (“El Samber”) and Jose are still missing today, despite joint investigations by Gaspar Cerballos Chavez (“El Gaspy”). All were bus U.S. and Mexican authorities. Some were presumably drivers, collectively dubbed Los Choferes (“The Chauf-casualties of the drug wars that periodically rock Ciu-feurs”). Police named Moreno as the ringleader of the dad Juárez, but apparent police involvement in the kid-rape-murder team, collaborating with Abdel Sharif in nappings rekindled dark suspicions. An El Paso–based another copycat scheme intended to spring Sharif from organization, the Association of Relatives and Friends prison. Charged with a total of 20 murders, all suspects of Disappeared Persons, keeps pressure on Chihuahua denied any role in the crimes. Guardado soon recanted authorities to recover the missing, so far without result.

his confession, claiming police torture, while Sharif The advent of a new millennium did not relieve the maintained his innocence and denied any contact with ordeal of Ciudad Juárez. On November 6 and 7, 2001, Los Choferes.

skeletal remains of eight more women were found in a Mexican authorities defended their latest conspiracy vacant lot 300 yards from the Association of

theory, but statistics were against them. Media reports Maquiladoras headquarters, a group representing most published in May 1999 claimed that “nearly 200

of the city’s U.S.-owned factories. Police announced the women” had been murdered since 1993—a substantial creation of a special task force to investigate the mur-jump over October 1998’s estimate of 117. Retired FBI ders, with a $21,500 reward offered for capture of the agent ROBERT RESSLER had no luck PROFILING the killer(s), but the new display of energy consoled no one.

killer(s) or Ciudad Juárez, and a team of active-duty GThe latest victims, ranging in age from 15 to 20, were men likewise returned from the border city empty-allegedly identified on November 10, shortly after police handed. Press reports from the summer of 1999 offered arrested two 28-year-old bus drivers, Javier García body counts ranging from 180 to 190, coupled with Uribe and Gustavo González Meza. Prosecutors blamed reminders that “at least 95 women” were still missing.

García and González for the latest slayings, claiming Chihuahua authorities claimed that FBI leaders had that both men “belong to a gang whose members are endorsed their conviction of Abdel Sharif, while bureau serving time for at least 20 of the rape-murders.” The headquarters denied it.

suspects proclaimed that any jailhouse statements issued Conflicting opinions came from Candice Skrapec, a in their names were the product of torture, their lawyers Canadian-born instructor at California State University received death threats, and one attorney—Mario in Fresno, billed in the press as a “world-renowned Escobedo Jr.—was killed by police on February 5, 2002, expert on serial killers.” In July 1987 Skrapec told the after officers “mistook him for a fugitive.” Eleven weeks
Toronto Star
that “Railway Killer” Angel Maturino later, on April 22, police grudgingly confessed that DNA Reséndez, lately posted to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted tests had failed to support any of their November victim list on suspicion of multiple murders in the United identifications. Waffling again on November 5, 2002, States, was also a suspect in the slaughter around Ciu-prosecutors declared that new tests had confirmed the dad Juárez. A month later, Skrapec told the
Toronto
identity of victim Veronica Martínez, while yielding no
Star
that she believed “at least three serial killers are results on the other seven. Gustavo González died on involved in the unsolved murders of 182 women in February 8, 2003, allegedly from complications after Juárez” since 1993. Skrapec went on to say that “there jailhouse surgery. Javier García was still awaiting trial may be even more murders that could be tied to the when this volume went to press.

three suspected serial killers, and [. . .] they were oper-The García and González arrests—bringing the total ating in 1992.” Skrapec spent the summer of 1999

of suspects in custody to 51, by some reports—had no
46

CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico

effect on the local murder rate. Ten days after the new publicly condemned Mexican officials for their mishan-suspects were jailed, another young woman was found dling of the Chihuahua murder spree. The U.N. report stripped and beaten to death in Ciudad Juárez. On Feb-suggested that drug trafficking “lies at the heart of the ruary 11, 2002, the Inter-American Commission for murders,” while official corruption and incompetence Human Rights dispatched Marta Altolaguirre to inves-render solution of the case impossible. Mincing no tigate reports that would-be protesters were harassed words, the panel said that “the investigation has been and threatened by police. That claim moved Mexican tempered by passiveness and illegality seen in the president Vicente Fox to order a new investigation by obstruction of studies, the slowness in investigating

“federal crime specialists.” Local prosecutors, resentful disappearances, falsification of evidence, harassment of of that order, protested to the
Dallas Morning News
the victims’ families and the use of torture to obtain that “27 of the 76 cases” were solved, while “the other confessions.”

killings involving women have been isolated incidents.”

Special prosecutor María López Urbina, appointed Global publicity only shortened tempers in Ciudad to investigate the crimes in February 2004, issued a pre-Juárez. On March 9, 2002, Texas state legislators liminary report four months later. She found “grave joined in a binational protest march through El Paso.

deficiencies” in the 11-year manhunt, citing 81 specific Jorge Campos Murillo, a deputy attorney general in individuals for negligence or incompetence. The report Mexico City, sparked controversy when he claimed that denounced specific police officers, state investigators, some of the slayings were committed by “juniors”—

forensic experts, and investigative supervisors, but sons of wealthy Mexican families whose money and spared elected officials from public criticism. López connections spared them from prosecution. (Shortly announced plans to study 50 open cases at a time, with after making those remarks, Campos was transferred to new reports published at four-month intervals until all another job and declined further interviews.) FBI agents the crimes were reviewed. President Fox promptly resumed their investigation in October 2002, but profil-declared, “We have accepted the challenge, considering ing efforts so far have been fruitless. Civic leaders in that it’s our moral duty to clarify the circumstances that Ciudad Juárez remain keenly focused on business. After have given rise to the homicides and to punish the guilty a large wooden cross was erected near the border as a parties.”

memorial to the murdered and missing women, Mayor The murders continue.

Jesús Delgado received protests from the Association of Individual suspects in the Ciudad Juárez slayings, Business Owners and Professionals of Juárez Avenue, identified in media reports but still uncharged at press complaining that the display was “a horrible image for time for this work, include the following:

tourism.” On the same day that protest was filed—September 23, 2002—police found two more women’s

Angel Maturino Reséndez:
Condemned and await-corpses in Ciudad Juárez. One victim was strangled and ing execution in Texas, he remains a suspect in partially disrobed; detectives claimed the other had died some of the murders, according to profilers

of a drug overdose, but special investigator David Robert Ressler and Candice Skrapec. No charges Rodríguez was openly skeptical of that verdict. Yet have been filed in Mexico.

another young victim was found on October 8, appar-Armando Martínez: Arrested in 1992 for the murder ently beaten to death.

of a Chihuahua City woman, he was “acciden-

The year 2002 ended badly for image-conscious mer-tally” released and subsequently vanished (along chants in Ciudad Juárez. Mexico’s first lady, Sahagun with his police file). Murder defendant Ana Bena-de Fox, publicly called for an end to the murders on vides, accused in 1998 of killing and dismember-November 25, as more than a thousand black-garbed ing a Ciudad Juárez couple and their child, claims women marched to protest the sluggish investigation. In Martínez committed the triple murder and framed January 2003, after three more victims were found at her for his crime.

Lomas de Poleo, published estimates of the body count
Carlos Cardenas Cruz and Jorge García Paz:
For-ranged from “nearly 100” to 370. On February 17, mer Mexican federal agents turned fugitives, they 2003, two boys walking their dogs in the desert north-are sought for questioning in the 1998 disappear-east of town found three more corpses, and police ance of 29-year-old Silvia Arce and 24-year-old responding to the scene unearthed a fourth. The latest Griselda Mares, who were allegedly killed by cor-victims, all teenagers, had vanished from downtown rupt police in a “mistaken” dispute over stolen Ciudad Juárez between September 23, 2002, and Feb-weapons.