Élver James Melchor Bañol (born 1976) is a Colombian rapist and serial killer.[1] He was convicted of 7 rapes and 4 murders,[2] one of them being that of Rosmery Castellón, a minor.[3]
Élver James Melchor Bañol | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976 (age 47–48) |
| Other names | "The Predator of Picaleña" "The Second Garavito" Julio |
| Conviction(s) | Murder ×4 |
| Criminal penalty | 60 years' imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Victims | 4 |
Span of crimes | Unknown–2019 |
| Country | Colombia |
| State(s) | Tolima |
Date apprehended | 2019 |
| Imprisoned at | Coiba Prison, Ibagué |
Nicknamed The Predator of Picaleña,[4] he was compared to the infamous Luis Garavito for the way he acted and approached his victims, all of whom were underage children. Melchor Bañol was initially sentenced to 40 years' imprisonment for three unrelated crimes, but after his last murder, he was given 60 years' imprisonment, the highest-available sentence in Colombian law.[5]
Profile
editAccording to authorities and specialized investigators, Elver acted in the same way as his renowned Colombian counterpart Luis Garavito: he had a habit of stalking minors and adolescents he had picked out, before eventually raping and murdering them.[6]
Rosmery Castellón case
editMelchor Bañol confessed to having kidnapped, raped, tortured and murdered 16-year-old Rosmery Castellón in the Tolima Department on February 26, 2019. In his own words, he told the authorities that he had strong sexual urges at that moment, so he decided to kidnap young Rosmery: "The devil entered me and there was nothing else to do." Policemen later found her body in the Vereda Aparco sector, with obvious signs of rape and torture.[7] Melchor was prosecuted for kidnapping, torture, violation of a corpse and femicide, for which he was convicted and sentenced to 60 years' imprisonment, the harshest sentence in the country.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Rapist and serial killer captured in Ibagué[permanent dead link] Diario Extra. Accessed April 2, 2020. (in Spanish)
- ^ Melchor, the so-called ‘Second Garavito’ Santa Marta al Día. Accessed May 30, 2020. (in Spanish)
- ^ 'The devil entered in me': atrocious story of a man who raped, tortured and killer a minor in Tolima Archived 2019-03-24 at the Wayback Machine Diario del Cauca. Accessed April 2, 2020. (in Spanish)
- ^ The deaths that tarnished security in Ibagué El Nuevo Día. Accessed April 2, 2020. (in Spanish)
- ^ The one responsible for the murder of a girl in Ibagué is sentenced to 60 years imprisonment El Tiempo. Accessed April 2, 2020. (in Spanish)
- ^ Andrés García (March 17, 2019). Elver Melchor is considered a second 'Garavito': he likes to abuse and murder Colombian teenagers Colombian. Accessed May 30, 2020. (in Spanish)
- ^ They found the body of a minor who disappeared after leaving school, with signs of rape Pulzo. Accessed April 2, 2020. (in Spanish)
- ^ Maximum sentence for an inmate who raped and killed a minor on parole Pulzo. Accessed on April 2, 2020. (in Spanish)