Alejandro Henriquez

Alejandro "Alex" Henriquez is an American pedophilic Serial Killer and Serial Rapist, active in New York City's South Bronx between 1988 and 1990. He has been convicted of three murders and suspected of three more. He is currently serving three consecutive 25 years to life sentences, while still maintaining his innocence.

Background
Henriquez was born in 1961 in South Bronx, New York. According to himself, he lived a happy childhood with his parents, who did everything for him and made him attend the best schools. There were allegations concerning purported sexual abuses he suffered as a child, which he always denied. As an adult, he was known as a liar and a deceiver. He would claim to be the owner of a livery car company, while, in reality, he conned airport rental agencies by subleasing rented cars to drivers. He cheated his wife, Andrea Rosario, with various girlfriends, whom he exploited by obtaining credit cards in his name on their accounts, which he later used in his business. He also told the children of his neighborhood he was an undercover Federal narcotics agent, letting them play in his cars, and buying them video games and toys. With the older teen-agers, he bragged about the women he dated, which he says was because of his car, charm and clean-cut appearance. Even before being indicted of murder, he was suspected of having molested a minor in 1983, and, in 1988, pleaded guilty to an assault charge (he had scalded the three-year-old son of one of his girlfriends, although he claimed the incident was caused by his negligence). He was also arrested, in 1990, on charges of having committed a robbery at a Manhattan yacht club where he briefly worked.

Killings and Arrest
Henriquez was considered a "person of interest" by the authorities in relation to two separate murder cases. The victims were Shamira Bello, 14, and Lisa Rodriguez, 21. Shamira disappeared from her neighborhood on July 2, 1988. Her sexually abused body was found the next day in Pelham Bay Park. She had been bludgeoned to death with repeated blows to the head. Later, two more children were found strangled to death in 1989: Nilda Cartagena (coincidentially Henriquez's own thirteen-year-old niece) and Heriberto Marrero, 15. Henriquez was never indicted of these murders. On June, 1990, Lisa Ann Rodriguez was also found dead. Henriquez reportedly knew Shamira, and had dated Lisa, whom he presented to his landlady as his niece. That same year, Jessica Guzman's deceased body was found near the Bronx River Parkway. This last murder stunned the community, prompting the NYPD to form a 40-member task force to track the suspected serial killer. They linked the cases together, and eventually resolved only Alex Henriquez, whom at the time was held without bail in relation to the 1987 armed robbery, could have killed all of them. For his own part, Henriquez participated search parties and candlelight prayer vigils. He also tried obtaining information on the bloodhounds' searches of the crime scenes, and attempted to mislead the investigation by convincing his nephew to make a phone call to the media claiming to be the killer.

Trial and Incarceration
During the course of the trial, his lawyer argued that the authorities were searching for a scapegoat for the crimes. On the other hand, the prosecution was able to link Henriquez to the killings through both circumstancial and forensic evidence. In 1992, Henriquez was convicted of the murders of Shamira Bello, Lisa Rodriguez and Jessica Guzman. He was condemned to three consecutive 25 years to life imprisonment sentences. He is currently incarcerated at the Sullivan Correctional Facility, in New York State, and still maintains his innocence.

Modus Operandi
Henriquez raped at least some of his victims and killed them through asphyxiation. He employed bludgeoning in his first confirmed murder. He would usually drop the bodies inside parks which bordered main roads.

Profile
FBI profiler James R. Fitzgerald claimed Henriquez is a self centered psychopath individual, with a constant, narcissistic need for power, control and attention. He lies as a means of self preservation and sustenance. He has a very positive perception of himself, and use his superficial charm to fullfill his own ends. He was theorized as being uncapable of having normal sexual interactions with adult women, which is why he directed his attention to younger girls, whom he could also manipulate. He was also said to live surrounded by people he deemed inferior to him (teen-agers, children...), as a means of feeling more accounted and powerful. Like many other serial killers, he reportedly pretended to be a law-enforcement official.

Known Victims
Date refers to when the bodies were found
 * July 3, 1988:
 * Shamira Bello, 14
 * June 21, 1989:
 * Nilda Cartagena, 13
 * Heriberto Marrero, 15
 * 1990:
 * June, 14:
 * Lisa Ann Rodriguez, 21
 * September:
 * Jessica Guzman, 10

On Criminal Minds

 * Season Two:
 * "Fear and Loathing" - While having yet to be directly referenced in the show, Henriquez share some characteristics with Terrance Wakeland, the episode's unsub. Both were sexually motivated. Both attacked young girls, whom were beaten or strangled to death. Both abandoned their victims' bodies in green areas. Both acted inside a New York State relatively small community, with their murders generating wide-spread panic and consternation. Both were also superficially charming, managing to attract their victims in secluded places where they would eventually assault them.