Pedro Rodrigues Filho

In this Portuguese name, "Filho" is a generational suffix meaning "son", which is used for someone whose name is the same as their father, like "Jr." in English.

Pedro Rodrigues Filho
Rodrigues in 1991
Born
Pedro Rodrigues Filho

(1954-10-29)29 October 1954
Santa Rita do Sapucaí, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Died5 March 2023(2023-03-05) (aged 68)
Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil
Cause of deathGunshot wounds
Other names
  • Killer Petey
  • Pedrinho Matador
Criminal charge(s)71 counts of murder confirmed (1968–2007), suspected to be 100 or more; riot and deprivation of liberty (2011–2018)
Criminal penalty30 years imprisonment (1973–2007); 8 years imprisonment (7 served on good behavior; 2011–2018)
PartnerMaria Aparecida "Botinha" Olympia (1969–1971; murdered by street gang while pregnant)
YouTube information
Years active2018–2023
Genre(s)Commentary, review (true crime, podcast)
Subscribers251,000+[1]
Total views36.4 million+[1]
100,000 subscribers
Last updated: 22 August 2022

Pedro Rodrigues Filho (29 October 1954 – 5 March 2023), also known as Pedrinho Matador, Killer Lil' Pedro, Killer Killer Petey, or simply Killer Petey, was a Brazilian serial killer, spree killer, vigilante, and YouTuber known for pursuing and killing exclusively suspected criminals as a teenager, between the age of 14 and 19, in particular an entire gang in response to the murder of his pregnant girlfriend. Officially sentenced for 71 murders but claiming to have killed over 100 drug dealers, rapists, and murderers, he served 34 years in prison before his release in 2007. In 2011, Rodrigues was imprisoned again on charges of inciting riot and deprivation of liberty; he was sentenced to eight years in prison, but was released again in 2018 after seven years on good behavior.[2]

After his second release from prison in 2018, he declared himself to be reformed from his self-declared vigilantism as a youth and committed to not commit more crimes. Rodrigues became a Brazilian celebrity and YouTuber, maintaining a YouTube channel called "Pedrinho EX Matador" on which he commented on modern crimes while educating the public that criminal acts are not something to be proud of.[3]

Following Rodrigues' initial planned 2003 release, author Jeff Lindsay began publishing a novel series about a fictional American serial killer of killers inspired by Rodrigues, named Dexter Morgan. The series's success, along with that of its 2006 television adaptation and 2021 revival, led to widespread retrospective media attention being brought to Rodrigues, with him becoming internationally known alternately both as the "Brazilian Dexter" and the "South American Punisher" (after the Marvel Comics character of the same name).[4]

Early life

Rodrigues was born on a farm in Santa Rita do Sapucaí, south of Minas Gerais. His skull had been bruised as a result of his father kicking his very pregnant mother's belly during a fight. He claimed he felt the urge to kill for the first time at age 13—when in a fight with an older cousin, he pushed the young man into a sugar cane press, almost killing him, and had considered leaving him there to die before electing to save him.[5]

Crime spree

At age 14, Rodrigues shot the deputy mayor of Santa Rita do Sapucaí in front of the city hall for having fired his father, a school guard, over accusations of stealing food from the school kitchen, preventing him from gaining new employment, before shooting the security guard whom he suspected as the actual thief, using his grandfather's shotgun for both. On the run, Rodrigues took refuge in Mogi das Cruzes, Greater São Paulo, where he began robbing drug dens and killing drug traffickers, making him a celebrity in the news media as the vigilante "Pedrinho Matador" (Little Peter the Killer).[6]

Rodrigues soon met Maria Aparecida Olympia, nicknamed Botinha, and they began living together. Rodrigues took on the duties of the deceased in a local street gang and was soon "forced" to eliminate some rivals, killing three ex-cronies. Botinha became pregnant with his child but was murdered shortly thereafter by a rival gang leader. Still underage, Rodrigues escaped, going on a revenge-killing spree by tracking down and killing every member of the rival gang.[7]

First prison sentence and release

On 24 May 1973, at the age of 18, Rodrigues was arrested for the first time, and lived in prison most of his adult years. Police records show that he was once transported in a vehicle with another prisoner, both handcuffed. During transport, Rodrigues killed the other inmate without the police noticing. When they opened the car door and saw the other prisoner was dead, Rodrigues said he did it because the man was a rapist. Although he was sentenced to 126 years imprisonment, he was to be released in 2003 because Brazilian law at the time prohibited anyone from spending more than 30 years behind bars (revised to 40 years in 2019).[8] After staying in prison for 34 years, Rodrigues was released on 24 April 2007, and he was reported to have moved to Fortaleza in Ceará.[9]

Second prison sentence and release

On 15 September 2011, Rodrigues was arrested at his rural home in Balneário Camboriú, where he worked as a caretaker. He was sentenced to eight years on charges of riot and deprivation of liberty, committed while he was detained in São Paulo.[10][11] He was released for good behaviour on 10 December 2018, after seven years.[2]

YouTube career

Following his second release from prison in 2018 and after announcing himself to be retired from his self-declared vigilantism as a youth and officially committed not to commit any more crimes, Rodrigues became a YouTuber, maintaining a YouTube channel called "Pedrinho EX Matador", on which he commented on modern crimes, campaigned against gang violence, and attempted to teach the public not to be proud of criminal acts.[1][3]

Death

At about 10 a.m. on 5 March 2023, Rodrigues was shot and killed by two men firing from a car in Mogi das Cruzes, who then fled in another car. No suspects have been arrested.[12]

Following his initial planned 2003 release, Rodrigues was the principal inspiration for Dexter Morgan, the antihero protagonist of the 2004 Dexter book series written by Jeff Lindsay, as well as its 2006 television series adaptation of the same name by James Manos Jr., in which he is primarily portrayed by Michael C. Hall, who won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series or Drama and Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Drama and was nominated five times for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of the character, before reprising his role as Dexter in the 2021–22 revival series Dexter: New Blood by Clyde Phillips.[13][14] The success of the novel series and Showtime television franchise additionally led to Rodrigues acquiring the new international media nickname of "'The Brazilian Dexter".[4]

Because of the list of crimes and his behavior in jail, Rodrigues joined the list of killers quoted by writer Ilana Casoy in the book Serial Killers – Made in Brazil. The publication tells stories of murderers like Marcelo Costa de Andrade and Francisco da Costa Rocha.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Pedrinho EX Matador – 2P Entretenimento". YouTube.
  2. ^ a b "Maior serial killer do Brasil vira comentarista de crimes e faz sucesso no YouTube" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Folha de S.Paulo. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b Abdhian, Adhi (10 August 2021). "Mantan Pembunuh Berantai Sadis Ini Jadi Youtuber Populer di Brasil". Beritakaltim.co. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b Robinson, Eugene S. (8 February 2021). "This Brazilian Dexter Loves Killing Killers". OZY. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Case 127: Killer Petey". Casefile: True Crime Podcast. 12 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Polícia de Santa Catarina prende "Pedrinho Matador", ele confessa ter matado mais de 100 pessoas | ND Mais". ndmais.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). 15 September 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Época – EDG ARTIGO IMPRIMIR – O monstro do sistema". revistaepoca.globo.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Código Penal" (in Portuguese). www.planalto.gov.br. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  9. ^ ""Pedrinho Matador" is free. The doctor does not believe in rehabilitation". Journal of Commerce (SP) (in Portuguese). 26 August 2009. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  10. ^ Juliana Kataoka (13 December 2017). "67 curiosities about Brazilian serial killers" (in Portuguese). BuzzFeed. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  11. ^ "Police maintains secrecy about where Pedrinho Matador is imprisoned" (in Portuguese). Daily Catarinese. 16 September 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  12. ^ "Homem conhecido como 'Pedrinho Matador' é assassinado na Grande SP, diz PM". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 5 March 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  13. ^ Tron, Gina (29 October 2021). "As The New Season Of 'Dexter' Nears, Who Are The Real Life Killers That Inspired (Or Were Inspired By) The Show?". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  14. ^ Williams, Jordan (7 July 2022). "Dexter: New Blood – The Runaway Killer's True Story Inspiration". Screen Rant. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  15. ^ Ilana Casoy. Serial Killers – Made in Brazil (in Portuguese). Editora Darkside Books. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.