Cayetano Santos Godino

Cayetano Santos Godino (31 October 1896 – 15 November 1944), also known as El Petiso Orejudo , was an Argentine serial killer and arsonist who murdered four children, attempted to kill seven others, and set fire to seven buildings, psychologically enjoying fires.

Deemed insane by doctors, he was initially hospitalized in a psychiatric facility, but was quickly sent to prison after he attacked vulnerable and non-violent patients. His parents, Fiore Godino and Lucía Raffo, had emigrated from Calabria, Italy, in 1884 or 1888, with hopes of improving their lives in Argentina. Both Godino and Raffo suffered from severe alcoholism. The elder Godino contracted syphilis before Cayetano was born, which caused serious health problems during Cayetano's childhood. In the first years of his life, Godino experienced near death crises due to diarrhea and was also subjected to extreme physical violence and abuse by his father. Godino was first housed at the Hospital Borda, thought that Godino's big ears were the root cause of his evil. In 1927, he was subjected to a surgery to shrink his ears, which showed no sign of change in Godino's behaviour.

Incarceration and death

Little is known about the years that Godino spent in prison. In 1933, he was assaulted by other inmates for killing a pet cat by throwing the animal into a burning oven. As a result, Godino spent twenty days in the prison's hospital.

On 15 November 1944, Godino died from an apparent peptic ulcer disease which was later attributed to frequent attacks by other inmates, as well as rape and sexual assaults. According to prison guards at the time, he was killed by enraged cellmates after Godino killed their pet cat. Palacios says that there are not many comparisons in Argentine criminal history, showing several differences to the crimes committed by Robledo Puch, another Argentine serial killer who was active in the early 1970s.

Palacios considers Godino a dysfunctional criminal, adding that the beatings his father gave him and the influence of one of his brothers, who provided him with alcohol, deeply damaged young Godino. Severino González Caló 2 9 September 1908 González was the first victim after Godino's first murder in 1906. Godino took González to a cellar and attempted to drown him in a drinking pool for horses before a man saved the boy Julio Botte 22 months old 15 September 1908 Godino attacked the toddler by burning his eyelids with a cigarette. When the boy's mother tried to catch Godino, he escaped Roberto Russo 2 8 November 1912 After taking Russo to vacant lot, Godino attempted to strangle him with a ligature. A construction worker saw them and called the police. Godino told police that he was trying to save Russo after finding him with the cord around his neck Catalina Neutelier 5 20 November 1912 When the girl, afraid of Godino, refused to go with him to a vacant lot, he viciously assaulted her. A neighbour who heard the girl screaming, shouted at Godino, who quickly fled