1969 to 1980
Colombia, Peru and Ecuador
over 350 victims
Pedro Alonso López
The Infamous Monster of the Andes
In the dark annals of criminal history, few names evoke as much fear and revulsion as Pedro Alonso López, infamously known as “The Monster of the Andes.” Born in 1948 in the harsh landscape of Tolima, Colombia, López’s early life was characterized by neglect, abuse, and violence. Expelled from home at a young age, he drifted into a life of petty crime, which tragically evolved into something far more sinister. The brutality of his childhood seemingly sowed the seeds for the horrors he would later unleash upon hundreds of young girls across South America.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, López embarked on a killing spree that spanned Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, claiming the lives of what he confessed to be over 300 young girls. His method was chillingly methodical: he would gain the trust of his victims, typically aged between 8 and 12, by pretending to offer them small gifts or assistance. Once isolated, López would carry out his gruesome acts, often burying the bodies in shallow graves. This calculated approach allowed him to evade capture for years, leaving a trail of devastation and shattered families in his wake.
"I am the man of the century, no one will ever forget me." - Pedro Lopez, bragging while in prison in Ecuador
"I am the man of the century, no one will ever forget me." - Pedro Lopez, bragging while in prison in Ecuador
The full scale of López’s atrocities came to light in 1980, when he was apprehended in Ecuador. His capture was the result of a failed abduction attempt that led to his arrest. Under interrogation, López shocked authorities by confessing to the murder of over 300 girls, providing detailed accounts and locations of their graves. His confessions were corroborated by the grim discovery of numerous remains, which confirmed the appalling extent of his killing spree. The international media descended on the story, fascinated and horrified by the sheer magnitude of his crimes.
In 1983, López was convicted of 110 murders in Ecuador, receiving a maximum sentence of 16 years, the harshest penalty available at the time. This lenient sentence, by international standards, sparked outrage and highlighted the inadequacies of the local judicial systems in dealing with such prolific offenders. During his incarceration, López reportedly exhibited good behavior, a factor that played a significant role in his eventual release. His time in prison, however, did little to assuage the public’s fear and anger, as the memory of his crimes remained painfully fresh.
López’s release in 1998, after serving only 18 years, was met with widespread disbelief and condemnation. Deported to Colombia, he was briefly held in a psychiatric facility before being declared sane and released under probation. This decision was met with outrage from victims’ families and the public, who feared the potential for him to reoffend. The legal and ethical implications of his release continue to be a topic of intense debate, raising questions about the justice system’s ability to deal with serial killers and protect society from their potential recidivism.
Today, Pedro Alonso López’s whereabouts remain unknown, and he is considered one of the world’s most dangerous fugitives. His case is a haunting reminder of the depths of human depravity and the systemic failures that allowed him to escape full accountability. López’s story has been the subject of numerous books, documentaries, and academic studies, all seeking to understand the mind of a man capable of such unimaginable evil. The legacy of his crimes continues to cast a long, dark shadow over the lives of his victims’ families and serves as a stark warning of the potential for horror that exists within the human condition.
“The moment of death is enthralling and exciting. Only those who actually kill know what I mean."
Captured in Ecuador
The murderer was not talking.
Ecuadorian police stood around the prison cell. They were starting to run out of ideas. And patience. Pedro Lopez, a deranged killer, sat behind just a few metal bars that kept them just beyond his reach. He was fuming silently.
Lopez knew they would be unable to build their case against him unless he said something. He would be hard to break, but the police could not give up, especially now they finally had a suspect in custody for the countless missing girl cases in Ambato city. Threats and intimation were not working on this mass killer.
The police left him for now. For a while, Lopez remained alone in his cell. When the door creaked open a little later, he was surprised to see not an officer coming inside, but a complete stranger. A fellow criminal. The new inmate appeared to be a bit older than Lopez. His dark hair and stern expression gave him an almost authoritative presence.
When the stranger introduced himself, Lopez was surprised the police had locked him up with a kindred spirit.
His name was Cordova Gudino, and he was a rapist. Despite his stern appearance, he gave Lopez an easy smile that quickly won him over. The common interest roused Lopez’s memories of the countless rapes and murders he had committed. He recalled the divine moment when the spark of life faded from a girl’s eyes as she died. It was an experience only a killer could fully appreciate, and Lopez wondered if Gudino had known it, too.
The pair immediately got along well, as though they had been friends for years. When Gudino brought up the past exploits that had landed him in prison, Lopez began to brag about his own. It was thrilling for him to finally be able to tell someone about what he had been doing with his life for the past few years, especially to someone who could understand him.
Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer
“I lost my innocence at age eight, so I decided to do the same to as many young girls as I could.”
Cristina was one of the over 300 young girls murdered. An Ecuadorian policeman points to where she was found.
The prison van slipped through the gates of the jail in the dead of night and made its way towards the Colombian border…
Whereabouts Unknown
Release and Deportation
On July 31, 1981, 33-year-old Lopez plead guilty to the murders of 57 girls and was imprisoned in Ambato, where he was officially diagnosed as a sociopath. Because of Ecuador’s laws, Lopez only received a maximum sentence of 16 years, much to the public’s enormous outrage. (Ecuador would later change its maximum prison sentence to 25 years.)
On August 31, 1994, Lopez was released from Garcia Moreno prison after serving 14 years, having been released two years early for good behavior. He was summarily deported to Colombia, where authorities there attempted to convict him of a two-decades-old murder. But instead, Lopez was declared insane and, in 1995, institutionalized in a psychiatric facility.
In February 1998, he was declared sane and released under $50 bail with additional stipulations. He visited his elderly mother, who said that he asked for his inheritance and then, upon being informed of her poverty, sold her sole bed and chair to people on the street. Lopez then vanished, with concerns having risen about his possible connection to a 2002 murder. His whereabouts are unknown.