Almería Ripper

The Almería Ripper is the name given to an unidentified Spanish serial killer who is thought to be responsible for at least five to ten murders of prostitutes around the municipality of Almería from 1989 to 1995.

His nickname derives from the belief that he was a copycat of Jack the Ripper. Similarly to him, the Almería Ripper was never caught and nobody has ever been charged with the murders associated with him.

Murders Modus operandi As victims, the Ripper targeted young prostitutes he found on the streets of Almería, whom he later murdered by strangulation or blunt force trauma. Once dead, he moved the bodies from the crime scene to remote locations, often leaving the victims' bras or shoes behind. Most of them resembled each other, as they were short and had dark, curly hair. Notably, all the victims either had darker complexions or were part of minority backgrounds.

The women were usually found face up, with some showing signs of sexual violence. Their clothes were usually red or black, led some investigators that this might have been a factor why the Ripper chose them. It was initially suspected that she died of a drug overdose, but an autopsy concluded that she was actually strangled to death. Nieto remains listed as a missing person.

On 25 January 1993, the naked body of 25-year-old María Leal was found on a beach near Aguadulce by a German tourist. Like the previous victims, she had been strangled to death. At the time of her death, she was pregnant with a girl and was last seen getting into a dark blue car with a dented rear spoiler in the early hours of the morning. The owner of the car was never arrested, as there was a lack of evidence linking him to the death. Titled Lo que los ojos esconden , it will be a thriller inspired by David Fincher's Zodiac. It is currently still under development with no set release date.