Laerte Patrocínio Orpinelli

Laerte Patrocínio Orpinelli (1952 – January 3, 2013), known as The Bicycle Maniac (Portuguese: Maníaco da Bicicleta), was a Brazilian serial killer and rapist who beat, raped and strangled at least 10 children around São Paulo from 1990 to 1999, but is suspected in more than 100 deaths since the 1970s. He was sentenced to 100 years imprisonment for his known crimes, and died behind bars in 2013.

Early life Laerte Patrocínio Orpinelli was born in 1952 in Araras, the seventh of nine children. From an early age, he was aggressive towards his siblings, neighbors and especially his mother, and would frequently try to attract attention by banging cans in the family yard. This angered his mother, Eliza, who tied him with pieces of rags to the edge of his bed or the foot of a table to keep him at bay. When he was untied, Orpinelli would retaliate by throwing bricks at her.

In his later confessions, Orpinelli claimed that he had drunk the blood of some victims and that Satan influenced him to chase and kill children. A film based on the 2011 book O Matador de Crianças, written by Reginaldo Carlota, is currently in the works. One of his brothers was interviewed after his crimes, and in the interview, he proclaimed that he hasn't seen his brother in more than a decade and had no desire to see him.