Dámaso Rodríguez Martín
| Dámaso Rodríguez Martín | |
|---|---|
 Magic symbol in the abandoned house where Dámaso Rodríguez Martín hid in the mountains of Anaga. | |
| Born |
Dámaso Rodríguez Martín 1944 El Batán, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife |
| Died |
1991 El Solís, Tegueste, Tenerife |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Other names | "El Brujo" |
| Details | |
| Victims | 3 |
Span of crimes | 1981–1991 |
| Country | Spain |
Dámaso Rodríguez Martín (December 11, 1944 - February 19, 1991), better known as "El Brujo" (The Warlock), was a Spanish serial killer who, in 1991, was responsible for three murders in the Anaga mountain area (Tenerife, Spain).
Biography
Dámaso Rodríguez Martín was born on December 11, 1944, in the place known as Las Montañas, in the village of El Batán (municipality of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain).[1]
His family was very poor so his parents tried to give him a good education. However, Dámaso started to perform criminal acts at a very young age. When he was just 17 he was accused of theft and arrested, after his release a year later in September 1963 he joined the Legion and was sent to Western Sahara. In 1966 he graduated from the Foreign Legion.[1]
Subsequently, Dámaso went back to Tenerife and in 1967 married Mercedes Martín Rodríguez and settled in a place known as El Peladero, in the village of Las Mercedes in San Cristóbal de La Laguna. In 1973 their first child would be born, and in 1975 the second.[1]
He committed his first murder on November 11, 1981 when he killed a young man who was with his girlfriend in his car in the area of El Moquinal. Dámaso was a "voyeur" who liked to watch couples having sex.[2] He then killed the young man and beat and sexually assaulted the girl in the car with the body. He then drove the body and the girl to "Llano de los Viejos", where he abandoned them. Investigators from the National Police asked around the area about a violent individual, who knew the mountains and also strolled about at night looking for couples. All information pointed to Dámaso. "El Brujo" was sentenced to 55 years in prison for murder, rape, theft of a firearm and unlawful possession of weapons.
Dámaso escaped from prison on January 17, 1991 and fled to the mountains of Anaga. He then killed a couple of German hikers. It seems that they begged for their lives, but he had no compassion. The woman was raped and strangled. "El Brujo" was the most wanted criminal by the State Security Forces in Spain at the time.[2] These events overshadowed the celebration of the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife that year.
A month after his escape, cornered by police inside a house, Dámaso shot himself with his shotgun.[2] In a subsequent exchange of gunfire he was shot dead by the Guardia Civil. Because of his great notoriety, Dámaso is considered the most famous criminal of the Canary Islands.
In 2003 TV Canaria released a series on the subject.[3]