Diego Ruiz Restrepo

Diego Alexánder Ruiz Restrepo (born 14 March 1990) is a Colombian serial killer active in Chile. Known as the Psychopath of Meiggs , he is confirmed to have committed at least 7 murders in the Meiggs neighborhood of Estación Central, between March and November 2020, where he had been living as an undocumented immigrant since 2013. The Chilean Prosecutor's Office also linked him to the murder of 20 other people.

Early and personal life Ruiz's mother became pregnant at age 16 and her partner abandoned her. Ruiz was raised by his maternal grandparents. He studied at the Colegio Carlos Holmes Trujillo, located in Comuna 15, Aguablanca District. He worked as a car mechanic for 5 years, being his longest employment.

Ruiz has a son, Andy, born from a relationship with an Ecuadorian woman in Chile. Starting in 2015, he lived with his sister and brother-in-law in an apartment in La Alameda, in the Santiago commune. His brother-in-law described Ruiz as an alcoholic, violent and abusive of his sister.

According to reports, Ruiz was known for constantly getting involved in conflicts in the neighborhood where he lived, such as arguments, even going so far as to threaten neighbors with a melee weapon. He also already had a police record for robberies. He was involved in robberies, threats and the use of bladed weapons, which prevented him from obtaining a permanent residence visa in Chile. Several months later on 1 November, Colombian immigrant Carlos Andrés Rivas Angulo (35) was found dead; he emigrated to Chile in 2010. After a night of drinking with his friends, around 1 am, he was stabbed about 25 times by Ruiz. Later that day, Guido Hernán Gallardo Contreras (64), was also found killed. He was homeless at the time of his death. Little is known about this victim, since he was never married, had no known children, his birth certificate doesn't have the full name of his mother, and his electoral residence did not belong to him. He had children, but none of them was notified of his death by any institution. Marcia Margot Tapia Loncón (57) became the next victim. Despite the fact that she had a residence in Cerro Navia, she was living as homeless in Estación Central area, she suffered from alcoholism and schizophrenia and had two children. Leónidas Vicente Panez Fierro (40) was the third victim of that day. Panez's mother died when he was 8 years old, and he, along with his 2 brothers, grew up in an orphanage. He was a former Carabinero and lived in a tent in Estación Central because of homelessness.

Other crimes Ruiz encountered Óscar P. on 3 August 2020. Ruiz threatened him with a 20-centimeter knife in his hand and told him "I have killed many people before. What if I chose you next? You don't even know who I am I." Óscar P. was able to dodge the attack and reported it to the Carabineros de Chile.

In addition to his 7 confirmed murders, Ruiz's involvement in 20 other deaths is currently being investigated. If these 20 deaths are confirmed, Diego Ruiz Restrepo would be considered the most prolific serial killer in the history of Chile. He received six stab wounds. As of 2021, the Public Ministry continues to investigate him as a possible victim of Ruiz.

Ruiz was arrested for investigation on 9 November and days later, a judge ordered him held in custody because he "represented a danger to society." According to the judge, based on the investigations, Ruiz attacked his victims "indiscriminately and brutally" without "any provocation" and without "the victims' chance of defense".

In July 2023, he was given a qualified life sentence, which is appealable after a minimum of 40 years served in Chile.

Modus operandi Ruiz attacked homeless people of both sexes. According to the forensic psychologist, Belisario Valbuena, Ruiz chose this profile because they are "people who are not missed by a family...many of them cannot even be identified." Some families of the victims were never informed by the security institutions, and only found out about the death of their relatives through the press. Ruiz bloodiest night was 8 November when he attacked 5 people in 70 minutes, of which 4 died.