A trio of infamous serial murderers passed away in recent weeks, closing the door on their infamy while also highlighting the crimes. Many of these likely haven’t reached the heights of true crime interest, but it shows the depth.
Manuel Octavio Bermudez Estrada died on Oct. 17, 2024, just two days after his birthday. The 63-year-old serial murderer and rapist confessed to killing 21 children across remote areas of Colombia, earning the nickname El Monstruo de los Canaduzales or The Monster of the Cane Fields. Of his 21 victims, 17 were found and recovered. He is suspected in a total of 50 murders of children. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2004.
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He was killed in an ambush against a prison vehicle on the Pan-American Highway. FARC was blamed for the attack that also left another inmate and two prison guards dead.
Next, we head to Europe where Wolfgang Abel died on Oct. 25, 2024, passing after his release from prison in 2009. He had spent decades behind bars from 1987 until his release into house arrest and finally earning freedom in 2016.
He and his serial murdering partner, Marco Furlan, were connected to 28 murders and 39 wounded, including their attempted arson of the Melamara Disco that led to their capture. They would mark their crimes with leaflets written in Italian, labeling their pairing as “Ludwig” and declaring they were “the last of the Nazis.” Neither had contact after their respective releases. He was 64.
The final murderer to die in recent weeks came a day after Abel on Oct. 26, 2024, in Russia. The “Kamensky Chikatilo” Roman Vladimirovich Burtsev was responsible for six murders from 1993 until 1996. He was known for carefully hiding his crimes, which led to most bodies being recovered after his arrest.
His six murders were all children, aged between 7 and 12, with one being forcibly raped. He confessed immediately after his capture in 1996 and was sentenced to death, later changed to life in prison, and spent the rest of his life in the White Swan prison. He died in custody at White Swan prison hospital due to cancer.
Hopefully, the families of their victims can finally find peace or pull something positive from their deaths.
