El Psicopata

The phenomenon of serial killers has long been embedded in popular culture. To the extent that members of the `elite` of perpetrators of the ultimate crime - murder - are perceived with fascination by the broad masses of the people, such creatures are given disproportionate attention, the media are full of the `exploits` of individuals who, by definition, have killed at least three people with an intervening period of `cooling off`.

Let`s jump into the bandwagon then...with a hip twist of course, let`s go to Latin America.

The case of the `Zodiac` serial killer who operated in the USA in the 60s and 70s (and perhaps longer) is well-known; films and documentaries have been made and books have been written.

Outside of everyday life, a maniac with a similar modus operandi and the same ability to "disappear" and leave no trace killed in Costa Rica, specifically killing 31 victims from 1986 to 1997. Called El Psicopata, the killer mostly killed couples who went to secluded places to have sex. But over time, that became insufficient for his appetites and on one occasion he massacred six schoolgirls along with their teacher who were on a nature trip, in the area that became known as the "Triangle of Death" between the cities of Alajuela and Cartago.

He most often used an M-3 Grease Gun for the murders themselves, and in most of his victims he continued by cutting off body parts, usually the girls' breasts which he probably collected as souvenirs. Costa Rican authorities turned to the FBI for help, but despite the joint work, the maniac remains at large to this day. Whether he continued to kill is unknown, as the killings in that area stopped after 1997. It is not impossible that he could one day appear in public and live carefree, because in Costa Rica, unlike many other countries, murder as a crime was subject to a statute of limitations.

There are many theories about who the killer is, from an ex-guerrilla who got the ball rolling on a downhill course, a rich and spoiled son of influential parents who satisfies his maniacal appetites with the help of corrupting the police, and perhaps even the Zodiac himself, who emigrated to Costa Rica after the investigation in the United States got close enough to escape to the tropical paradise and continue his bloody habits.

It is a mystery why so many maniacs kill couples in love, what drives them to rage at the sight of a couple kissing or having sex?! Does their inability to form any real connection with a human being drive them to murderous madness?

In any case, a sticker album titled "The Greatest Serial Killers of the 20th Century" is expected to be released in a few years. Children will be able to swap duplicates with their friends and cheer on their favorite serial killer in a live broadcast of the latest reality show "The Murder Corner".

(Roger Mortis, 047)