Cayetano Santos Godino

First murder

Godino's childhood included killing cats and small birds. On 28 September 1904, at age seven, he took two-year-old Miguel Depaola to a deserted lot, beat him, and threw him onto a plant of thorns; a police officer intervened. In 1905, Godino attacked 18-month-old Ana Neri by hitting her head with a rock; again a police officer witnessed the assault. Due to his age, he was released that night.

On 29 March 1906, nine-year-old Godino committed his first murder. He lured three-year-old María Rosa Face to a vacant lot, strangled her with a ligature, buried her alive, and covered her with empty cans. Her body was never found; Godino later confessed and led police to the lot, where an apartment building had been built by 1912.

Two weeks later, his father caught him strangling chickens and beat him severely before taking him to the police station. A judge ordered Godino to a reformatory for two months. After release, he resumed street roaming and petty crime.

Increasing violence (1908–1912)

On 9 September 1908, at age eleven, Godino lured two-year-old Severino González Caló to a wine cellar and tried to drown him in a horse drinking pool. The cellar owner intervened and called police. Godino denied the act, blaming a woman in black.

He was released the next morning. Six days later, he burned the eyelids of 22-month-old Julio Botte with a cigarette; Botte's mother witnessed the assault. Godino's parents, tired of his behavior, handed him to police. He was sent to a juvenile reformatory in Marcos Paz, Buenos Aires, for three years, where he learned to read and write.

He was discharged soon after his 14th birthday in December 1911, allegedly at his parents' request. They found him a factory job, but he kept it only three months. Toward the end of 1911, Godino began drinking heavily, roaming streets, and experiencing headaches he later described as growing homicidal ideation.

Serial murders (1912)

On 17 January 1912, Godino broke into a cellar on Avenida Corrientes and set it on fire; firefighters took four hours to extinguish it. He enjoyed watching them work. On 26 January, the body of 13-year-old Arturo Laurora was found in an empty house, half-naked with a ligature around the neck; Godino later confessed. On 7 March, he set fire to the dress of five-year-old Reyna Bonita Vaínicoff; she died sixteen days later.

Between these murders, Godino committed several arsons and killed a mare by stabbing it repeatedly. On 8 November, he lured two-year-old Roberto Russo to an isolated area, tied his feet, and tried to strangle him; a construction worker called police. Godino claimed he was trying to free the boy and was released. On 16 November, he assaulted a three-year-old girl, but a passerby saved her.

On 20 November, he assaulted five-year-old Catalina Naulener after she refused to accompany him; a neighbor saved her. Godino escaped each time.

Legacy and analysis

María Moreno's book analyzes Godino's case within the cultural context of early 20th-century Argentina. The crimes caused moral panic among affluent citizens, who saw Godino as an example of danger from the wave of immigrants. Guillermo Monti notes the murders occurred amid social tensions, with upper classes alarmed by anarchist violence leading to the Tragic Week of 1919. Journalist Rodrigo Palacios stated that Godino was the first documented serial killer in Argentina, meeting FBI criteria.

Palacios considers Godino a dysfunctional criminal, damaged by his father's beatings and an older brother who provided alcohol. Godino has entered Argentine folk culture; families use his nickname to scare unruly children, comparing him to the bogeyman. A museum at the old Ushuaia Penitentiary, where Godino died, displays a wax statue of him.

Did You Know?

• Godino attended the funeral of his last victim, Gesualdo Giordano, and left crying after seeing that the 10 cm nail he had driven into the boy's temple had been removed.
• Godino's father had syphilis before Cayetano was born, which caused serious health problems during Cayetano's childhood.
• Godino was not tried in court; judge Ramos Mejía ruled him unfit to stand trial and found him not guilty by reason of insanity.