José Antonio Rodríguez Vega

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José Antonio Rodríguez Vega
Stab wounds
Other namesThe Old Lady Killer
Criminal penalty440 years imprisonment
Details
Victims16
Span of crimes
1987–1988
CountrySpain
State(s)Cantabria
Date apprehended
19 May 1988

José Antonio Rodríguez Vega (3 December 1957 – 24 October 2002), nicknamed El Mataviejas (The Old Lady Killer), was a Spanish

Santander, Cantabria, between August 1987 and April 1988.[1]

Biography

Rodríguez Vega was born in

disabled woman, who he tortured and humiliated
, all the while keeping up the pretense of having an excellent marriage. He was considered to be a good person, a hardworking man and good husband to those around him.

On 19 May 1988, Rodríguez Vega was arrested. After that, he confessed to the murders.[2]

Trial and sentence

His trial began in November 1991 in

Santander. He was convicted for murdering 16 women[3] and eventually sentenced 440 years in prison.[4]

Rodríguez Vega was diagnosed as a

psychopath who was a fastidiously neat individual. His killing was well organized in that he would first identify a victim, then observe her until he was familiar with every aspect of her routine.[1] He would then make contact with the victim, try to gain her trust, using his charm and looks, until he gained access to her home, often under the guise of doing work to or around her home.[1] He was described as a cold-hearted and calculating serial killer who took mementos from each of his kills.[1] When he was arrested, police found a red room where he displayed his mementos, which ranged from a television to a bouquet of plastic flowers.[1] Because of the age of his victims, some of their deaths were attributed to natural causes.[5] The extent of his killing spree was not realized until police released a videotape of his home, showing his mementos.[5] Families of the victims identified objects that linked Rodríguez Vega to their dead relatives.[5]

Death

On October 22, 2002, Rodríguez Vega was transferred to a FIES jail module for dangerous inmates; there has been some controversy[6] about the possible reasons for this, given that he had been a model prisoner during his sentence and he was just a few years away from being released.

His lack of remorse[7] while discussing his crimes with fellow inmates Enrique del Valle (‘El Zanahorio’) and Daniel Rodríguez Obelleiro, as well as Rodríguez Vega's reputation as a rapist and a jail snitch,[8] sealed his fate within the first 24 hours of his stay in the FIES module.[9]

On October 24, 2002, Rodríguez Vega was walking in the prison common grounds when del Valle and Obelleiro attacked and brutally stabbed him 113 times as prison guards watched without intervening. Rodríguez Vega was buried the next day in a poor coffin. The burial was attended by only two gravediggers.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ .
  2. ^ Palacios, Marta (2023-10-03). "El caso del 'Mataviejas', el asesino en serie español que se llevaba a casa los 'trofeos fetiches' de sus víctimas". Las Provincias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  3. ^ Málaga, COPE (2023-11-27). "'El Mataviejas': un criminal que violó y asesinó a 16 ancianas". COPE (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  4. ^ Palacios, Marta (2023-10-03). "El caso del 'Mataviejas', el asesino en serie español que se llevaba a casa los 'trofeos fetiches' de sus víctimas". Las Provincias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  5. ^ a b c "The Serial Killer Hit List - Part II". Mayhem.net. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ^ [2]
  8. ^ [3]
  9. ^ [4]
  10. ^ "Jose Antonio Rodriguez Vega, el mataviejas de Santander (Spanish)" (in Spanish). Casoabierto.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-02. Retrieved 2008-11-09.