A convicted serial killer who is thought to have murdered 60 men during a five-year murdering spree has claimed he is not a psychopath, and that his victims effectively killed themselves.
Luis Gregorio Ramirez Maestre, known as the ‘Monstruo de le Soga’ – the Rope Monster – is serving his 34-year sentence in a maximum security prison in Valledupar, in the Colombian department of Cesar.
All his victims were motorbike taxi drivers aged between 19 and 30, and Maestre specifically chose men weighing less than 60 kilograms (132 lbs).
Rope monster: Luis Gregorio Ramirez Maestre is thought to have murdered 60 motorbike taxi drivers aged from 19 to 30, during a five year murdering spree in Colombia
The 38-year-old would ask for a ride to the outskirts of towns, where he would suffocate his victims until they were unconscious.
Then he would tie the taxi drivers up to a tree by the their neck, legs and arms in a complicated system that caused the victims to effectively choke themselves to death once they were no longer able to hold up their legs.
The killer would watch his victims as they slowly died before taking one of their possessions as a trophy.
Maestre added: ‘I do not think I am a monster, why? Because of the fact I committed so many murders?
‘No, a monster is the one who does not clarify things and I am doing so.’
Psychopath: He would tie his victims up in a complicated knot system that caused the victims to effectively choke themselves to death once they were no longer able to hold up their legs
The murderer then explained the complicated knot system he used to kill his victims.
He said: ‘They are three difficult knots. Someone who has no knowledge of knots could never do it. Firstly, the noose around the neck is activated when the hands are activated.
‘In other words, when you stretch your legs, the noose around the wrists is activated which in turn activates the neck, which is the strongest (knot).
‘If the person makes one movement, their breathing is cut immediately.’
Maestre is believed to have killed 60 people between 2007 and 2012, although he only admits to 23 murders.
Crime scene: The secluded spot where one of Maestre’s victims was found dead
He told the reporter: ‘I do not remember all the faces because of the large number of murders I committed, why would I lie? Do not show me photos.’
He has repeatedly claimed he is part of a paramilitary group that ordered the killings, but authorities have said there is no link between Maestre and any organised crime groups.
Maestre said: ‘I have never had a medical examination that would allow people to call me a psychopath… and anyone who says I am a serial killer is a liar.’
Maestre was found guilty of six counts of murder after an investigation that involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and UK investigation agencies.
The investigation ended with the discovery of 23 bodies, although another 37 drivers in the area were reported as missing and it is believed that they were killed in the same way.