The Boy of Terror: A Killer Protected by the Police

Fifteen-Year-Old Confesses to Fifteen Murders as Police Watch in Stunned Silence: The Serial Killings of Juan Fernando Hermosa SuárezOn a January afternoon in 1992, a teenager walked into a press conference in Quito and calmly described murdering fifteen people. What shocked Ecuador more was the impossible question no one could answer: how did a minor obtain weapons directly from active-duty police officers while those same officers hunted him?This episode explores the rise of the Boy of Terror-a photographic-memory killer who orchestrated taxi driver executions across Quito while corrupt officers supplied his arsenal. We examine the broken chain of custody, the undercover sting that triggered a fatal confrontation, and the institutional collapse that allowed him to escape from custody and kill again.Victim: Juan Fernando Hermosa Suárez (perpetrator)Date: November 1991 - January 1992Location: Quito, EcuadorStatus: Captured January 14, 1992- Two active-duty police officers, Wilson Romero Vicuña and Rafael Pucha Isela, directly sold weapons to the teenage gang leader while the police hunted him- Hermosa's adoptive mother, Zoila Amada Suárez, was killed in crossfire during his arrest-struck by 19 to 20 bullets from multiple directions, making it impossible to determine which officer's bullet caused her death- A plastic gun smuggled by his girlfriend allowed Hermosa to shoot Sergeant Ángel Sailema five times and escape from juvenile detention with ten other minors-yet he was never formally charged for that murder- Hermosa was recaptured in Colombia three months later but returned to the system without additional judicial consequences for the prison escape or the guard's deathJuan Fernando Hermosa Suárez, Quito Ecuador taxi driver murders 1991 1992, serial killer, homicide investigation, antisocial personality disorder, police corruption, true crime, criminal minds, unsolved mysteries, true crime EnglishTo listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected] listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.comOBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie