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

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

who raped and killed at least 16 elderly women, ranging in age from 61 to 93 years old, in and around

Santander Santander may refer to: Places * Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain * Santander Department, a department of Colombia * Santander State, former state of Colombia * Santander de Quilichao, a m ...

, Cantabria, between August 1987 and April 1988.

Biography

Rodríguez Vega was born in Santander, Cantabria,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Rodríguez Vega hated his mother because she had thrown him out of the house when Rodríguez Vega beat his father, who was terminally ill. His behavior while in prison, and his ability to charm his victims into forgiving him led to a reduction in his sentence to 8 years. Released in 1986, Rodríguez Vega's wife left him. He did not take the breakup well, but eventually remarried, this time to a mentally

disable Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...

d woman, who he

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

d and

humiliated Humiliation is the abasement of pride, which creates mortification or leads to a state of being humbled or reduced to lowliness or submission. It is an emotion felt by a person whose social status, either by force or willingly, has just dec ...

, 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.

Trial and sentence

His trial began in November 1991 in

. He was convicted for murdering 16 women and eventually sentenced 440 years in prison. 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. 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. He was described as a cold-hearted and calculating

who took mementos from each of his kills. 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. Because of the age of his victims, some of their deaths were attributed to natural causes. The extent of his killing spree was not realized until police released a videotape of his home, showing his mementos. Families of the victims identified objects that linked Rodríguez Vega to their dead relatives.

Death

On October 22, 2002, Rodríguez Vega was transferred to a FIES jail module for dangerous inmates; there has been some controversy 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 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 Snitch may refer to: * Informant Film and television * ''Snitch'' (1998 film) or ''Monument Ave.'', an American crime drama directed by Ted Demme * ''Snitch'' (2011 film) or ''Witness Insecurity'', an American thriller starring Edward Furlong ...

, sealed his fate within the first 24 hours of his stay in the FIES module. 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 A coffin is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, either for burial or cremation. Sometimes referred to as a casket, any box in which the dead are buried is a coffin, and while a casket was originally regarded as a box for jewel ...

. The burial was attended by only two

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez Vega, Jose Antonio 1957 births 1978 crimes in Spain 1987 murders in Spain 1988 murders in Spain 2002 deaths People convicted of murder by Spain People from Santander, Spain Prisoners who died in Spanish detention Serial killers murdered in prison custody Spanish people convicted of murder Spanish people who died in prison custody Spanish rapists Spanish serial killers

Biography

Trial and sentence

Death

See also

References