A suspected serial killer has admitted to slaying eight victims but the police believe the number could be as high as 18.
Albino Santos de Lima, 42, is suspected of being the biggest serial killer in the history of his home state.
According to the police, Santos had a habit of taking selfies at the tombstones of his victims.
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The authorities charged him this week following a raid at his home in mid-September.
During the raid, the police seized a .380 calibre pistol that belonged to his father and a mobile phone.
The police discovered that the weapon was used in a number of local homicides.
The police also identified other traits of his modus operandi, such as acting at night and wearing black clothing and a cap to hide his face.
Santos allegedly killed his victims within an 800-metre radius of his home in the city of Maceió in Alagoas State, Brazil.
Police spokesperson Tacyane Ribeiro said he had an obsession with young people with the same physical characteristics.
Most victims were young black women with long curly hair.
He learned about his victims on social media and carefully planned out how he wanted to kill them, according to the authorities.
The investigation gained momentum after the murder of Ana Beatriz, 13, in August this year.
The minor was shot dead while she was leaving a sports centre in the area of Vergel to do Lago.
The suspect’s seized phone proved vital to the investigation.
The police found two folders with the names and photos of his victims in them.
The data was even marked with the date of the alleged murder.
The police said: “He also took screenshots of articles about the crimes.
“He even took photos at the cemetery.”
Charles Mariano, head of the Maceió Institute of Criminology, said: “So far, this is the most serious case of serial homicide in the city’s recent history.”
The authorities also suspect that it could be the biggest in the state’s history if the death toll keeps rising.
Santos has reportedly confessed to eight murders, but the police believe they have undeniable evidence that 10 victims were killed by the same person, seven women and three men.
They suspect the number could be as high as 18.
Head investigator Gilson Rego said: “We already have very strong evidence there is more.
“In due course, when we have gathered more evidence, we will release the information.”
A ballistics test proved that 10 victims were killed by shots fired from the seized weapon.
According to Rego, the 10 identified victims were:
Mikaele Leite da Silva, 21. Shot dead on 29 October 2023.
Louise Gybson Vieira de Melo, 18. A trans woman who was fatally shot on 11 December 2023.
Beatriz Henrique da Silva, 25. She was shot dead while sleeping next to her three-year-old son who was not harmed on 15 December 2023.
Débora Vitória Silva dos Santos, 21. Shot dead along with her partner on 18 December 2023.
John Lennon Santos Ferreira, 20. Fatally shot alongside Débora on 18 December 2023.
Joseildo Siqueira Silva Filho, 24. Shot dead on 8 January 2024.
Tamara Vanessa da Silva Santos, 21. Fatally shot on 8 June 2024.
Emerson Wagner da Silva, 17. Shot dead on 21 June 2024.
Ana Clara Santos Lima, 13. Fatally shot on 3 August 2024.
Anna Beatriz Santos Tavares, 13. Shot dead on 26 August 2024.
Santos’ gun was registered with the National Ballistic Profiles Database and is believed to have been used in at least eight other homicides in Maceió between 2019 and 2020.
The murders took place in another part of the city where he was living at the time.
Rego said: “He had a pattern of marking the dates of the homicides he committed on his phone calendar.
“After analysis, other homicides committed in the upper part of Maceió in 2019 and 2020 emerged.”
Defense lawyer Geoberto de Luna said he plans to argue that the defendant is too mentally unwell to stand trial, as reported by Need To Know.
He stated: “For now, he is being treated as a common prisoner, but I will try to prove through reports that he does not have the mental capacity, thus making him unaccountable.
“His mind is that of a sick person, a sociopath.
“And this will be the path of my defense.”
The investigation continues.
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