
History is one of our great passions, even those considered more mysterious, such as the Valongo Sanatorium nearby. However, this time we want to take you back to the 19th century to (re)discover a figure who is, to say the least, intriguing: Diogo Alves.
If this name doesn’t ring a bell, then get ready to meet the notorious assassin of Lisbon ‘s Águas Livres Aqueduct. Although the story is not related to Porto, we thought it would be interesting to share it with you, as it marked the world of crime in Portugal.
In fact, this ‘bizarre’ figure is worthy of a horror movie or a US-style crime series. However, this is not fiction, but an episode that is still remembered today. Or theserial killer‘s head wouldn’t have survived to this day. But we’ll get to that.
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Diogo Alves: who was he?
Known as the murderer of Lisbon’s Águas Livres Aqueduct, Diogo Alves is considered one of Portugal’s firstserial killers. His name has also gone down in history, as he was one of the last people sentenced to death in the country.
The protagonist of our story is said to have been born in Galicia at the beginning of the 19th century. However, he immigrated to Lisbon at a very young age, with the intention of serving in the homes of wealthy families of the time. But if he had restricted his life to this service, we wouldn’t be writing about him.
A brief look at the crimes
Diogo Alves, or “O Pancada” (as he became known), is believed to have murdered around a hundred people, ‘just’ at the Águas Livres Aqueduct in the capital. However, it is impossible to pinpoint the actual numbers.
According to some theories, the aqueduct murders took place sometime between 1836 and 1839. Diogo Alves usually chose socially disadvantaged victims, such as washerwomen and farmers, approaching them in the ‘dead of night’.
Like any self-respectingserial killer, stealing wasn’t enough for “O Pancada”. In this context, he took advantage of the more than 60 meters high historic Lisbon building to ‘get rid’ of his victims, in a sort of attempt to simulate suicide.
For a while, the murders went unnoticed. However, the growing number of incidents led the authorities to close the aqueduct. Even so, Diogo Alves hasn’t left the world of crime, he’s just shifted his attention elsewhere.
One of the last people sentenced to death
Portugal was one of the first modern European countries to abolish the death penalty. According to the Infopédiawebsite, in 1867 it was abolished for all crimes. According to the same source, the last execution took place in 1846. Even so, the Aqueductserial killerdid not escape.
In fact, he was sentenced to death in 1840 and capital punishment was carried out the following year. But do you want to know something curious? The crimes that led Diogo Alves to the gallows are not the ones you think. In other words, as the doors of the Lisbon building were closing, he decided to form a gang.
With his ‘cronies’, he decided to start attacking family homes. And that’s where it all went wrong, as he was caught up in the notorious “Rua das Flores Crime”, in which he was convicted of robbing and murdering a doctor and his family.
The unusual head in formaldehyde
One of the aspects that contributed to the rise of the myth of this 19th centuryserial killerwas his head. We’re not joking, nor are we registering ‘April Fool’s lies’. The truth is that Diogo Alves’ supposed head was handed over to a group of scientists with the aim of investigating the possible origin of such evil.
Even today, the head preserved in formaldehyde terrorizes the premises of the old Anatomical Theatre, part of the Anatomy Institute of the Faculty of Medicine in Lisbon. With an ironic serenity, the most famousserial killerin Portuguese history is staring at everyone with his eyes wide open!