Macario Alcalá Canchola (born c. 1930) is a Mexican suspected serial killer who is popularly known as Jack Mexicano.
Macario Alcalá Canchola | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1930 Mexico City, Mexico |
| Other names | "Mexican Jack" |
| Criminal penalty | 60 years in prison, maximum penalty in this time in Mexico City. |
| Details | |
| Victims | 2–12+ |
Span of crimes | 1960–1962 |
| Country | Mexico |
| State(s) | Mexico City |
Date apprehended | September 1962 |
From 1960 to 1962, Alcalá is believed to have killed women in Mexico City who were known to work as prostitutes in poor inner-city neighborhoods, possibly in an attempt to imitate the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper.[1][2] Despite only confessing to a single murder, Alcalá is also heavily suspected of committing the murders of at least eleven other women around Mexico City.[3]
Alcalá was apprehended in September 1962 and sentenced to 60 years in prison, the maximum penalty at the time, for the murder of two women.
Background
editBorn in the 1930s in Mexico City, Alcalá developed an inferiority complex.[4] Alcalá entered into the Mexican Army, but was eventually dismissed for his incompetence and lack of discipline, and also tried to become a professional boxer but failed.[5] Alcalá was known to have been married and had children, but had separated from his wife for unknown reasons.[6]
Murders
editIn 1960, the bodies of numerous female prostitutes began to appear in motel rooms in poor neighborhoods of Mexico City, and initially, the police didn't believe that the murders were related. On September 20, 1962, the body of Julia González Tejedas, a prostitute and mother of 4 children who worked in a local bar named El Imperial, was discovered in a room of a motel named Drigales in Colonia Guerrero. González was strangled in the room and there were no signs of struggle; her unclothed body was placed in a theatrical position on the bed.
With lipstick the killer wrote "Jak mexicano, reto a Cueto" on a mirror in the room, translating to "Challenge to Cueto. Mexican Jack" in English. "Cueto" was the surname of the Police Chief at the time and "Jak" was presumably a misspelling of Jack.[7][8] Jack Mexicano (Spanish for "Mexican Jack" or "Jack the Mexican") became a popular name for the then-unknown murderer among the press and the Mexican public. The name was most likely chosen as a reference to the notorious British murderer Jack the Ripper, who was accused of murdering at least five women working as prostitutes in impoverished areas of 19th century London, but was ultimately never caught. Due to the similarities of the murderers and the possible reference to Jack the Ripper, it is generally considered that Alcala was a copycat killer.
Arrest and conviction
editAfter the discovery of the body of Julia González Tejedas, the police interrogated her bar partners and the Drigales motel staff. After obtaining a spoken portrait of the González's last client, they were eventually led to Alcalá and he was arrested days after. Alcalá confessed to the murder of González, but denied committing any of the other killings which he was accused of, which included around twelve women who had been murdered in Mexico City's poor neighborhoods in a similar fashion to González from 1960 to 1962. While only confessing to the individual murder, during interrogation, Alcalá made comments regarding the murders of the other women that contained only information the police would know and the media didn't know. This leak of information was successfully linked by the police to committing the killing of another woman in January 1962.[9]
Macario Alcalá Canchola was sentenced to 60 years of prison, which was the maximum penalty at the time in Mexico City, for the 1962 murders of Julia González Tejedas and a second woman.
Mental health
editAlcalá's relatives and acquaintances had described him as frequently egotistical and frustrated. Due to the fact that he divulged information about his murders, regardless of whether he confessed to committing them or not, he was diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder.[citation needed]
A criminologist working on the case made a psychiatric profile after Julia González's murder (translated from Spanish):[10]
In a joint action in which judicial agents and technical investigators join forces to clarify this crime, it is possible to establish on the part of the psychologist Pablo García González, of the Institute of Criminal Investigation, a profile of Jack: He defines him as a successful exhibitionist.-The fact that the killer wrote the message about the moon on a mirror shows that he wants to be taken into account and that his crime transcends. The killer acted with serenity, which was proven by the fact that he took Julia's clothes; he also tried not to leave fingerprints... He is also a low-stratum individual, for he did not even know how to write Jack's name well... It is possible he will kill again.
— García González, Pablo from the "Instituto de Investigación Criminalística"; 1962
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Moron Ramírez, Carlos M. (May 4, 2012). "Mexico y sus asesinos seriales: Macario Susano Pompeyo" [Mexico and its serial killers: Macario Susano Pompeyo]. El Dictamen (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
...Macario Alcalá Canchola, mejor conocido como "El Jack Mexicano", ya que todos sus crímenes guardaban cierta similitud con los realizados por "Jack el Destripador". Su operación se dio a lo largo de la década de los 60, habiéndosele comprobado el asesinato de dos sexoservidoras; sin embargo, se cree que pudieron haber sido más.
- ^ "Asesinos seriales o la pasión por matar" [Serial killers or the passion for kill]. Publimetro (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico: Metro International. March 8, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
...Macario Alcalá Canchola, todos sus crímenes guardaron cierta similitud con los de Jack El Destripador. Y, de hecho, llegó a pintar en el espejo con lápiz labial: "Jack, reto a Cueto", quien era el jefe de la policía.
- ^ Rivera, Horacio B. (February 10, 2010). "Macario Alcala Canchola. "Jack el Mexicano" (México)" [Macario Alcala Canchola. "Mexican Jack" (Mexico)]. Enciclopedia de los Asesinos en serie (in Spanish). Testigos del crimen. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
- ^ "El "Jack" Mexicano" [The Mexican Jack]. Diario La Voz (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico: 2012 © Diario La Voz. October 17, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
- ^ Delgado, Rodrigo (October 18, 2013). "Macario Alcalá Canchola: Los asesinatos de El Jack Mexicano" [Macario Alcalá Canchola: The murders o The Mexican Jack]. MX DF (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
- ^ Rivera, Horacio B. (February 17, 2010). "Macario Alcala Canchola. "Jack el Mexiacno". (Mexico)" [Macario Alcala Canchola. "Mexican Jack" (Mexico)]. Enciclopedia de los asesinos en serie (in Spanish). Testigos del Crimen. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
Fue soldado de infantería en las Guardias Presidenciales, pero su ineptitud y mala conducta lo dejaron fuera. Intentó ser boxeador y fracasó. Había sido dado de baja del cuerpo de policía por abuso de autoridad; su esposa declararía más tarde que Macario se sentía superior a todo aquel que le rodeara...
- ^ Rivera, Horacio B. (February 17, 2010). "Macario Alcala Canchola "Jack el Mexicano" (Mexico)" [Macario Alcala Canchola. "Mexican Jack" (Mexico)]. Enciclopedia de los asesinos en serie (in Spanish). Testigos del Crimen. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
Corría el año de 1962, cuando el 20 de septiembre fue encontrado el cadáver de una mujer en un cuarto de un hotel, se trataba de la ultima victima de este asesino serial... El hombre que entró en la habitación 216 del hotel Drigales, ubicado en la calle de Mosqueta número 32, en la colonia Guerrero, cargando una maleta pequeña y acompañado de una Joven, no sabía que esa noche lo volvería a hacer. Pero así fue: le dejó un mensaje escrito en el espejo con lápiz labial al jefe de policía: "Jak mexicano, reto a Cueto". Eran las 23:30 h del 19 de septiembre de 1962 cuando el hombre se registró bajo el nombre de Fernando García. Según la autopsia, a este hombre le había bastado una sola mano para estrangular a su victima, aunque ella no dejó de luchar por su vida...
- ^ Delgado, Rodrigo (October 18, 2013). "Macario Alcalá Canchola: Los asesinatos de El Jack Mexicano" [Macario Alcalá Canchola: The murders o The Mexican Jack]. MX DF (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
La noche del 19 de septiembre de 1962, Macario acudió al cabaret "Imperial", en la Colonia Guerrero. Ahí contrató los servicios de Julia González Trejo. Salieron del bar y, aproximadamente a las once y media de la noche, llegaron al hotel Drigales. Macario se registró con el nombre de Fernando García y rentó la habitación 216. Una vez en el cuarto Julia brindó su servicio; y, cuando se disponía a cobrar, el hombre la tomó del cuello con la mano derecha y la estranguló hasta la muerte. Después limpió la habitación, tomó la ropa de la mujer y se aseguró de no dejar huella alguna. Y, justo antes de dejar la recámara, escribe en el espejo, usando el lápiz labial de su víctima, "Jak mexicano, reto a Cueto" (el entonces jefe de policía)...
- ^ Gutiérrez, Silvia (June 21, 2011). ""Jack", al estilo mexican" ["Jack", in Mexican style]. Historias Comunes (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
...ubicaron a las compañeras de trabajo de Julia, se elaboraron retratos hablados hasta que finalmente se dio con el paradero de Macario Alcalá Canchola, quien se desempeñaba como policía preventivo con número de placa 2301, bajo el nombre de Fernando Ramírez Luna... Aunque sólo se le pudieron comprobar dos crímenes se le atribuye una docena de homicidios de mujeres, quienes en esa época fueron asesinadas con el mismo modus operandi...
- ^ Rivera, Horacio B. (February 17, 2010). "Macario Alcala Canchola "Jack el Mexicano" (Mexico)" [Macario Alcala Canchola. "Mexican Jack" (Mexico)]. Enciclopedia de los asesinos en serie (in Spanish). Testigos del Crimen. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
Spanish: En una acción conjunta en la que agentes judiciales e investigadores técnicos unen esfuerzos por aclarar este crimen se logra establecer por parte del psicólogo Pablo García González, del Instituto de Investigación Criminalística, un perfil de Jack: Lo define como un exhibicionista acomplejado.
El hecho de que el asesino escribiera el recado sobre la luna de un espejo demuestra que quiere ser tomado en cuenta y que su delito trascienda." El asesino, actuó con serenidad, lo cual quedó comprobado por el hecho de haberse llevado las ropas de Julia; también procuró no dejar huellas digitales... Se trata también de un individuo de bajo estrato, pues ni siquiera supo escribir bien el nombre de Jack... Es posible que vuelva a matar"...