Pedro Rodrigues Filho was a Brazilian serial ki*ller, spree k*iller, and vigilante, who gained notoriety for targeting and ki*lling individuals he believed to be criminals during his teenage years. Between the ages of 14 and 19, he went on a ki*lling spree, including the mu*rder of an entire gang in response to the ki*lling of his pregnant girlfriend. Although he was officially sentenced for 71 mu*rders, he claimed to have ki*lled over 100 drug dealers, rapists, and mur*derers. He spent 34 years in prison, serving roughly 25 weeks for each mur*der, before being released in 2007.
The Beginning
Rodrigues was born on a farm located in Santa Rita do Sapucaí, located in the southern region of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Unfortunately, he suffered a traumatic injury in the womb when his father kicked his pregnant mother’s belly during a fight, resulting in a bruised skull.
At the young age of 14, Rodrigues committed an act of violence that would set the stage for his future as a notorious criminal. He shot the deputy mayor of Santa Rita do Sapucaí in front of the city hall, motivated by the firing of his father – a school guard – over accusations of stealing food from the school kitchen.
He then proceeded to shoot the security guard whom he suspected as the actual thief, using his grandfather’s shotgun for both ki*llings. Fleeing from the authorities, Rodrigues found refuge in Mogi das Cruzes, a city in Greater São Paulo, where he began robbing drug dens and ki*lling drug traffickers. His actions gained him notoriety in the news media, who dubbed him a vigilante.
After arriving in Mogi das Cruzes, Rodrigues met Maria Aparecida Olympia, who was also known as Botinha, and the two began living together. Rodrigues quickly became involved in the local street gang, taking on the duties of a deceased member. In the course of his involvement with the gang, he was “forced” to eliminate some of their rivals and ended up ki*lling three former associates.
Botinha became pregnant with Rodrigues’ child, but unfortunately, she was mur*dered shortly thereafter by a rival gang leader. Despite being underage, Rodrigues sought revenge and went on a ki*lling spree, tracking down and brutally m*urdering every member of the rival gang.
Pedro Rodrigues Filho’s next mur*der was also an act of vengeance, but this time, the target was his own father – the same man he had kil*led on behalf of previously. Rodrigues’ father had been sentenced to prison for kil*ling Rodrigues’ mother with a machete. When Rodrigues visited his father in jail, he took the opportunity to seek revenge and brutally mu*rdered him by sta*bbing him 22 times. In a gruesome and disturbing act, Rodrigues even went so far as to cut out his father’s heart and proceeded to chew on it.
He Goes To Prison
Rodrigues’ criminal activities caught up with him when he was arrested for the first time at the age of 19 on May 24, 1973. He spent most of his adult life in prison, where he continued to engage in acts of violence and brutality. In one shocking incident, Rodrigues ki*lled another inmate while being transported in a vehicle with him, all while they were both handcuffed and under police supervision.
When confronted about the k*illing, Rodrigues claimed that the other inmate was a rapist. Despite being sentenced to 126 years in prison, he was due to be released in 2003 due to Brazilian law at the time that prohibited anyone from spending more than 30 years behind bars. (This was later revised to 40 years in 2019.) After serving 34 years in prison, Rodrigues was finally released on April 24, 2007. Following his release, he reportedly relocated to Fortaleza in Ceará.
Rodrigues Returns to Prison After Being Released
Rodrigues’ freedom was short-lived, as he was arrested again on September 15, 2011, at his rural home in where he worked as a caretaker. He was found guilty of charges related to rioting and deprivation of liberty, which he had committed while being detained in São Paulo. As a result, he was sentenced to eight years in prison. However, due to good behavior, he was released on December 10, 2018, after serving seven years.
He reportedly kil*led 47 of his fellow prisoners, whom he believed deserved retribution for their own criminal actions. Rodrigues apparently took pleasure in ki*lling other criminals and stated in interviews that he found joy and excitement in doing so. His preferred method of mur*der was by st*abbing or hacking with blades.
Tragically, on March 5, 2023, Pedro Rodrigues Filho was shot and k*illed by two men who fired at him from a car in Mogi das Cruzes. The assailants quickly fled the scene in another vehicle, and no suspects have been apprehended as of yet.