Diogo Alves terrorized the residents of Lisbon during the late 1830s, murdering dozens of travelers along the city's grand Águas Livres Aqueduct. Born in Spain in 1810 before moving to Portugal as a domestic worker, Alves became known as the "Devil of Lisbon" after police linked him to at least 70 brutal homicides. Unlike typical criminals who robbed victims before fleeing, Alves lured people to the towering heights of the aqueduct, robbed them of their meager earnings, and hurled them over the edge to make their deaths look like suicides.
His crimes went unpunished for years because local authorities initially dismissed the rising death toll among peasants and merchants as a wave of despair-driven suicides. Today, his preserved head remains stored in a jar at the University of Lisbon's Faculty of Medicine, serving as a macabre artifact of 19th-century phrenology and forensic pathology.
Rise of a Predator in 19th-Century Lisbon
Life in Lisbon during the 1830s was fraught with political instability following the Liberal Wars. Thousands of impoverished migrants flooded the capital looking for work, creating an underworld of desperate laborers. Alves arrived in the city as a young man and drifted through various low-paying domestic jobs before turning to robbery.
He didn't work alone. Alves formed a criminal gang and operated out of a tavern called the Farinheira, which served as his operational base. While his accomplices engaged in petty theft and house robberies across the city, Alves focused on a more sinister enterprise along the newly opened Águas Livres Aqueduct. More insights on this are detailed by Associated Press.
The aqueduct was an architectural marvel that spanned the Alcântara valley, featuring a massive pedestrian walkway that offered a convenient shortcut for farmers, merchants, and travelers heading into the city. It also provided complete isolation under the cover of darkness.
The Aqueduct Murders: Method and Madness
Alves executed a chillingly simple yet effective method of operation. He waited at the aqueduct's high arches during dusk or evening hours, intercepting lone travelers returning from market.
- The Lure: He approached victims under the guise of offering safe passage or companionship along the dangerous stone path.
- The Attack: Once isolated at a high point over 60 meters above the valley floor, Alves overpowered his victims, robbed them of whatever silver or goods they carried, and beat them.
- The Cover-Up: To eliminate witnesses and destroy evidence, he threw his victims off the aqueduct structure.
For nearly three years, coroners and local police recorded these deaths as tragic suicides or accidental falls. The sheer height of the aqueduct meant victims suffered catastrophic injuries upon impact, making defensive wounds difficult to identify as foul play. It wasn't until the death toll climbed past seventy that magistrates realized a systematic predator was at work, forcing authorities to temporarily close the pedestrian walkway across the monument.
Arrest, Trial, and Capital Punishment
The criminal enterprise unraveled in 1841 when police connected Alves to the murder of a prominent local doctor's family. Investigators raided the Farinheira tavern and recovered stolen goods belonging to multiple missing persons, leading to the swift arrest of Alves and several gang members.
During the subsequent trial, prosecutors detailed a reign of terror that shocked the Portuguese legal establishment. Alves displayed a chilling lack of remorse throughout the proceedings, offering flat denials or silent defiance. The court found him guilty of multiple counts of aggravated robbery and murder, sentencing him to death by hanging.
His execution took place in February 1841, making him one of the final individuals executed in Portugal before the nation abolished capital punishment for civil crimes later that century.
The Macabre Afterlife of Diogo Alves
Following his execution, scientists at the Lisbon School of Medicine requested permission to preserve the killer's head for anatomical study. During the 19th century, researchers were fascinated by phrenology—the pseudoscientific belief that skull shapes could reveal criminal tendencies and psychological traits.
Researchers injected formalin and preservatives into the severed head, capturing his final facial expression. Today, the specimen is housed in a secure department at the University of Lisbon, where medical historians study the relics of early Portuguese forensic science.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people did Diogo Alves kill?
While official court records tied him to 28 specific murders during his trial, contemporary estimates and historical investigations suggest he was responsible for upwards of 70 deaths along the aqueduct.
Can visitors see the preserved head of Diogo Alves?
No, the specimen is kept strictly for academic and research purposes within the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon and is not open to the general public.
Why did authorities close the aqueduct walkway?
The government permanently closed the pedestrian pathway across the Águas Livres Aqueduct in 1853 due to the high frequency of murders and copycat suicides that occurred there during Alves' active years and shortly thereafter.
Was Diogo Alves Portugal's first serial killer?
He is widely recognized as Portugal's first documented serial killer and remains the nation's most prolific modern murderer in terms of confirmed victim count.
