Pedro Rodrigues Filho

Lore & Background

Rodrigues was born on a farm in Santa Rita do Sapucaí, Minas Gerais, with a skull bruise from his father kicking his pregnant mother. He claimed his first urge to kill came at age 13 after a fight with an older cousin, whom he later attacked with a knife and a sugar cane press. At 14, he shot the deputy mayor and a security guard after his father was fired and jailed, then fled to Mogi das Cruzes, where he began robbing drug dens and killing traffickers, gaining media fame as 'Pedrinho Matador.'

He lived with Maria Aparecida Olympia, taking over her deceased husband's drug gang, and killed three rivals. After she was murdered by a rival gang leader, Rodrigues went on a revenge spree, killing every member of that gang. He claimed to have killed his own father in prison at age 20 by stabbing him 22 times and chewing part of his heart, supposedly in retaliation for his father stabbing his mother 21 times. However, journalist Ullisses Campbell disputes this, stating his father died later of respiratory disease.

Arrested at 19 in 1973, Rodrigues spent most of his adult life in prison, once killing a fellow inmate during transport for being a rapist. He was released in 2007 after 34 years, then re-arrested in 2011 for riot and deprivation of liberty, serving seven years until 2018. After release, he became a YouTuber on the channel 'Pedrinho EX Matador,' commenting on crimes and advocating against gang violence. He was killed by a single gunshot to the head in Mogi das Cruzes on 5 March 2023.

Reader's Guide

Pedro Rodrigues Filho's significance lies in his dual legacy as a real-life vigilante serial killer and as the principal inspiration for the fictional character Dexter Morgan, the antihero of Jeff Lindsay's novel series and the subsequent television franchise. The success of Dexter, which began publication in 2004 and aired from 2006 to 2013 with a 2021 revival, brought widespread retrospective media attention to Rodrigues, earning him the international nicknames 'Brazilian Dexter' and 'South American Punisher.' His story highlights the complex public fascination with killers who target other criminals, blurring lines between justice and murder. Rodrigues's later turn to YouTube, where he claimed reform and educated against criminal pride, added a layer of notoriety and controversy. His death by unidentified assailants in 2023, while carrying a child, underscored the violent world he once inhabited. The article notes uncertainty about his patricide claim, reminding readers that his narrative contains disputed elements. His inclusion in Ilana Casoy's book Serial Killers – Made in Brazil and the manga Killer Killer further cement his place in popular culture as a figure who inspired multiple works about killers of killers.

Did You Know?

• Rodrigues claimed to have killed his father by stabbing him 22 times and chewing part of his heart, but journalist Ullisses Campbell disputes this, saying his father died of respiratory disease.
• He was officially sentenced for 71 murders but claimed over 100 victims, most committed between ages 14 and 19.
• His YouTube channel was called 'Pedrinho EX Matador,' meaning 'Ex-Killer Petey.'
• He was killed by a single gunshot to the head; reports do not mention a stabbing or him carrying a child.