Pedro Rodrigues Filho was once described as the perfect psychopath. In total, this Brazilian killer was responsible for at least 70 murders, ten of which he committed before he reached the age of 18. And like many killers, Filho later claimed to have actually murdered even more victims.What separated Pedro Rodrigues Filho from other killers, though, were his targets. According to Filho himself, he killed more than 100 drug dealers, rapists, and murderers in other words, he claimed that he had not killed anyone who was truly innocent. Much like the titular character in the TV series Dexter, Filho considered himself more of a vigilante than a serial killer.Public DomainKnown as the real-life Dexter, serial killer Pedro Rodrigues Filho murdered at least 70 people, many of them suspected killers and rapists.He ultimately only served 34 years in prison for the 70-plus murders he committed and then an additional seven from 2011 to 2018 for crimes he committed while he was detained at So Paulo. Then, Filhos career took another surprising twist: he became a YouTuber with a channel that urged people to stay away from a life of crime.This is the surprising story of Pedro Rodrigues Filho, the real-life Dexter.Pedro Rodrigues Filhos Bloody Crimes Begin At A Young AgePublic DomainBefore dying in March 2023, Pedro Rodrigues Filho may have killed more than 100 people.Pedro Rodrigues Filhos life was never going to be easy that much was clear as soon as he came into the world. He was born in 1954 in Minas Gerais, Brazil with an injured skull, which was the result of his father beating his mother during her pregnancy.Filho was just 14 years old the first time he killed a man. In this case, it was the deputy mayor of his hometown of Santa Rita do Sapuca. He had taken his fathers shotgun to the town hall, shooting the deputy mayor for having fired his father, a school security guard, over accusations that he had stolen food from the schools kitchen.Then, he shot the security guard who he suspected of actually stealing the food.Now a wanted man, he fled to the area of Mogi das Cruzes in Sao Paulo, Brazil. There, Pedro Rodrigues Filhos killing streak continued. He would rob drug dens and kill the dealers he encountered, eventually earning a name in the media as a vigilante called Pedrinho Matador Lil Petey Killer.During this time, Filho also fell in love. Her name was Maria Aparecida Olympia, whom he called Botinha, and the two soon began living together. Not long after, she became pregnant and was then killed by a gang leader hoping to strike back at Filho.Now, Pedro Rodrigues Filho wanted revenge. He tracked down several people related to Olympias murder, torturing and killing them in his mission to find the man who took her life. In the end, he killed every member of the gang.YouTubePedro Rodrigues Filho.His desire for vengeance took a new target, however, when his father murdered his mother with a machete. Incarcerated in the same prison, Rodrigues devised a plan to get revenge for his mother.I killed my father in prison. I was already in prison then, Ive spent 42 years in prison. My father was in prison. I arranged a well-thought-out plan and I turned up at my fathers cell, Filho said, per the Daily Star. I had promised revenge on my mothers coffin.Pedro Rodrigues Filho stabbed his father 22 times, then ripped his heart out and bit into it.I just chewed it. I cut the tip of his heart off and chewed it, and I threw it on top of his body.Pedro Rodrigues Filhos Murders Continue While Behind BarsWikimedia CommonsDespite his enormous list of crimes, Pedro Rodrigues Filho only served 34 years during his first prison term.Before killing his father, Pedro Rodrigues Filho had found himself en route to prison on May 24, 1973. He was placed in a police car with two other criminals including a rapist. When police opened the car door, they found that Rodrigues had killed the rapist.And now they were bringing him to a building full of other convicts.According to the Toronto Sun, Pedro Rodrigues Filho killed at least 47 of his fellow inmates, which made up a majority of his murders. By his own account, Filho firmly believed that each of these convicts deserved to die.Filho often claimed that he never killed innocent people, and that, despite getting a tattoo that said Mato por Prazer I kill for pleasure his motivation was anger and a desire for revenge, not bloodlust.Though Filho was initially sentenced to 128 years in prison, the killings he committed while behind bars increased that sentence to 400 years. But per Brazilian law at the time, the maximum prison sentence anyone could serve was just 30 years (this has since been increased to 40).In the end, Pedro Rodrigues Filho only served an additional four years for the murders he carried out in prison. So in 2007, he was released and took a job as a night watchman.The Complicated Legacy Of The Real-Life DexterWikimedia CommonsAfter Pedro Rodrigues Filho was released from prison, he published videos online urging people to stay away from crime.Pedro Rodrigues Filho is notorious in Brazil, not just for the many people he killed, but for targeting other criminals.After his release from prison, he became something of an anti-crime advocate and spoke candidly about his life and crimes. His newfound celebrity reportedly even helped inspire the Showtime series Dexter, likewise about a serial killer who only targets other violent criminals.But in 2011, trouble found Filho again, and he was placed back in jail. This time, however, he was only charged with threatening others, illegal possession of weapons, and participating in illegal riots. He was released from prison once again in 2018 for good behavior.Once again a free man, Filho made the curious decision to launch a YouTube channel, where he used his own life story as a cautionary tale. He told his viewers about his criminal history and warned them that they should avoid a life of crime if possible.ShowtimeThe story of Pedro Rodrigues Filho later inspired the fictional serial killer Dexter Morgan.But Pedro Rodrigues Filhos story came to an abrupt end on March 5, 2023, when he was killed outside of a family members home in Sao Paulo. As The Mirror reported, the 68-year-old ex-killers throat was slashed and he sustained multiple gunshot wounds from assailants in a black car.The suspects fled the scene immediately after, but police later discovered the car they had been driving as well as a cache of ammunition nearby. The anonymous assailants reportedly told Filhos relative, Its nothing to do with you. Take your daughter and go inside.It is still unknown who put an end to Pedrinho Matador.After learning about Pedro Rodrigues Filho, the real-life Dexter known as Pedrinho Matador, learn about Mark Twitchell, the man inspired to murder by Dexter, and Richard Ramirez a.k.a. The Night Stalker. Then, read about Rodney Alcala, the serial killer who won the Dating Game during his murder spree.The post Pedro Rodrigues Filho, The Real-Life Dexter Serial Killer Who Targeted Murderers And Rapists appeared first on All That's Interesting.

In January 1987, R. Budd Dwyers suicide left America in shock not because R. Budd Dwyer was particularly well known outside of Pennsylvania, but because his violent death took place in the most public place imaginable: a press conference. And it was all on camera.On January 15, 1987, R. Budd Dwyer, the acting Pennsylvania State Treasurer, held a meeting in his suburban Pennsylvania home. He sat withhis press secretary James Horshock and Deputy Treasurer Don Johnson to discuss setting up a press conference related to his recent legal issues.Wikimedia CommonsR. Budd Dwyer warning others to stay back just seconds before fatally shooting himself in front of television cameras on January 22, 1987.The 47-year-old was a week away from his sentencing on convictions connected to bribery, but he remained adamant about his innocence, as he had done throughout the investigation and trial.Both Horshock and Johnson left Dwyers home that evening assuming that their boss would resign at the press conference on January 22 after making one last statement of innocence and pleading for mercy in front of thelocal media.Dwyer had other plans.Who Was R. Budd Dwyer?Robert Budd Dwyer graduated from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and quickly became active in local politics. In 1964, running as a Republican, he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and served until 1970.Public DomainR. Budd Dwyers suicide in front of live television cameras in 1987 left all of America in shock.That year, while still a sitting State Representative, Dwyer ran for a seat in the Pennsylvania State Senate and won. After winning reelection twice, Dwyer set his sights on the state office and ran for Pennsylvania Treasurer in 1980. He won reelection to the seat four years later.Around the same time, Pennsylvania officials discovered that some of its state workers had overpaid millions of dollars in Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes due to errors in state withholding. Several top accounting firms across the country competed for the multimillion-dollar contract to determine the compensation to be paid to each employee.The contract was eventually awarded to a California-based firm, Computer Technology Associates (CTA), owned by a native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.Months after the contract was awarded, Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh received an anonymous memo detailing allegations of bribery that took place during the bidding process for the contract and named R. Budd Dwyer as one of the people receiving a kickback in the deal.Enraged by the allegations, Dwyer denied any wrongdoing and maintained hisinnocence. Nevertheless, Dwyer and several others were eventually charged.In a show of leniency, federal prosecutors were willing to cut the treasurera deal: he would plead guilty to asingle charge of bribe receiving, resign from office, and fully cooperate with the rest of the investigation. The single charge carried a five-year prison sentence.YouTube/EightyFourFilmsA newspaper article on the scandal that led to R. Budd Dwyers suicide in front of television cameras on January 22, 1987.Dwyer turned down the deal, believinghis innocence would be proven in a trial.However, on December 18, 1986, Dwyer was found guilty on 11 counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, perjury, and interstate transportation in aid of racketeering. He faced a sentence of up to 55 years of imprisonment and a $300,000 fine.His sentencing was scheduled for January 23, 1987.R. Budd Dwyers Suicide And The Press Conference That Preceded ItYouTubeR. Budd Dwyer gives his last speech.After meeting with two staffers on January 22 in order to weigh his options, R. Budd Dwyer contemplated his future. He scribbled his thoughts on a piece of paper, found later by his family.I enjoy being with Jo so much, the next 20 years or so would have been wonderful. Tomorrow is going to be so difficult and I hope I can go through with it.The press conference in Harrisburg the next morning began with a prepared statement that left no one with any idea they were about to watch R. Budd Dwyers death.But as Dwyer reached the final page, he went off script, telling the audience:Ive repeatedly said that Im not going to resign as State Treasurer. After many hours of thought and meditation Ive made a decision that should not be an example to anyone because it is unique to my situation. Last May I told you that after the trial, I would give you the story of the decade. To those of you who are shallow, the events of this morning will be that story. But to those of you with depth and concern the real story will be what I hope and pray results from this morningin the coming months and years[,] the development of a true Justice System here in the United States.I am going to die in office in an effort to see if the shame[-ful] facts, spread out in all their shame, will not burn through our civic shamelessness and set fire to American pride. Please tell my story on every radio and television station and in every newspaper and magazine in the U.S.. Please leave immediately if you have a weak stomach or mind since I dont want to cause physical or mental distress. Joanne, Rob, DeeDee [sic] I love you! Thank you for making my life so happy. Goodbye to you all on the count of 3. Please make sure that the sacrifice of my life is not in vain.In front of the gathered reporters and television cameras, he removed an envelope from under the podium. Inside was a .357 Magnum revolver. The crowd immediately began to panic as the former treasurer announced, Please leave the room if this will affect you.R. Budd Dwyers final speech.Frederick L. Cusick, a journalist and friend of Dwyers who was sitting in the front row to cover the story, told the Los Angeles Times years later that he should have run and grabbed him when he pulled out the envelope. I knew that was it.As people frantically yelled for him to stop and others approached the podium to disarm him, R. Budd Dwyer quickly inserted the gun into his mouth, pulled the trigger, and fell to the floor. He died instantly.How The Media Handled Dwyers DeathA number of Pennsylvania television stations showed edited footage of the press conference and R. Budd Dwyers suicide (although, contrary to many urban legends, Dwyers press conference was never broadcast live).Several stations froze the footage prior to the gunshot while the audio continued under the frozen image. Philadelphia station WPVI re-broadcast the suicide footage, in full and without warning to viewers, on their 5 and 6p.m. broadcasts. That stations broadcast is responsible for many of the copies of the video that are available online to this day.Harrisburg station WHTM-TV opted to broadcast uncut video of the suicide not once but twice, defending the decision by citing the important nature of the story. Many kids and adults in the surrounding area were home due to a major snowstorm and thus saw the video.I saw the raw footage of it, explained Richard Patrick, frontman of the band Filter, in a 2012 interviewabout the song he pennedin the aftermath of the public suicide:Im from the suburbs and I dont remember seeing a lot of things like that growing up. When youre 22 and you see that, youre like, Wow. There was no Internet to watch death on you can see anything on the Internet now. Back then, we were watching it out of fascination of like, Wow. Were all gonna die. There was a morbid curiosity. I was watching it and I was all, Hey man, nice shot.'R. Budd Dwyers Suicide And The Death Of An Honest ManWikimedia CommonsR. Budd Dwyer shaking hands with President Gerald Ford circa January 1977.In 2010,Honest Man: The Life of R. Budd Dwyer, a feature documentary about R. Budd Dwyers life and the tragedy of his suicide, premiered at the Carmel Art and Film Festival in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with the Dwyer family in attendance.In the documentary, William T. Smith, a former chairman of the Dauphin County Republican Committee and one of the key trial witnesses inDwyers conviction, admits that he lied under oath at his own trial about offering Dwyer a bribe in hopes of reducing his own sentence and to spare his wife from being prosecuted for her role in the conspiracy.He expressed his regret for lying and the role it played in R. Budd Dwyers public suicide.Although these revelations suggest that Dwyer may not have gotten justice, he did at least secure his familys future.Since Dwyer died while still in office, his widow, Joanne, was able to collect full survivor benefits that totaled more than $1.28 million. Many close to Dwyer feel that he may have committed suicide to preserve the state-provided pension for his family, who were financially ruined by legal defense costs.But Pennsylvanias finances stayed murky even after R. Budd Dwyers suicide.According to Frederick Cusick, the reporter and friend who watched R. Budd Dwyer kill himself, not much in Harrisburg changed in the aftermath of the suicide. He told an editor not long after the incident, You can see the fins breaking the water. You see the feeding frenzies when it comes to payoffs and bribes.For more shocking stories of justice miscarried, read about George Stinney Jr., the youngest person ever executed by electric chair. Then check out the bizarre tale of Johnny Frank Garrett a sadistic nun-killer or an innocent man put to death?The post R. Budd Dwyer: The Politician Who Killed Himself On Television In 1987 appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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