Criminal Figure. Abdul Latif Sharif, first name also spelled Abdel, was an Egyptian-born American chemist and chief suspect in the Juárez killings, a decade-long murder spree that began in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez in the early 1990s. Sharif's first alleged murder occurred in Mexico in March 1995, but there were indications that he was a scapegoat of the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office, who made him into a serial killer. It was claimed that he could have begun killing from 1978 to 1981 while still residing in Pennsylvania, when the unsolved disappearances of several women and girls occurred. However, Sharif was never connected to these events. Upon his arrival in Mexico in 1994, Sharif settled in the luxurious and exclusive Rinconadas de San Marcos neighbourhood of Ciudad Juárez, with all the expenses sponsored by the company he worked for. Sharif distinguished himself as an intelligent man, patenting 25 chemical formulas. It was here that his prolific career as a serial killer allegedly lasted from 1994 to 1995. On 3 October 1995, Sharif was reported by a prostitute, 19-year-old Blanca Estela Díaz, as having kidnapped her for three days, during which she was beaten, raped, and threatened with death. The charges were dismissed on the grounds that, contrary to her claims, there were no signs of sexual abuse. However, the Chihuahua government was being pressured to find the perpetrator of the Ciudad Juárez femicides in Lote Bravo and Sharif, with his criminal background, was the ideal candidate to be the serial killer. The Chihuahua Attorney General's Office sought to establish him as responsible for the multiple homicides.
Criminal Figure. Abdul Latif Sharif, first name also spelled Abdel, was an Egyptian-born American chemist and chief suspect in the Juárez killings, a decade-long murder spree that began in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez in the early 1990s. Sharif's first alleged murder occurred in Mexico in March 1995, but there were indications that he was a scapegoat of the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office, who made him into a serial killer. It was claimed that he could have begun killing from 1978 to 1981 while still residing in Pennsylvania, when the unsolved disappearances of several women and girls occurred. However, Sharif was never connected to these events. Upon his arrival in Mexico in 1994, Sharif settled in the luxurious and exclusive Rinconadas de San Marcos neighbourhood of Ciudad Juárez, with all the expenses sponsored by the company he worked for. Sharif distinguished himself as an intelligent man, patenting 25 chemical formulas. It was here that his prolific career as a serial killer allegedly lasted from 1994 to 1995. On 3 October 1995, Sharif was reported by a prostitute, 19-year-old Blanca Estela Díaz, as having kidnapped her for three days, during which she was beaten, raped, and threatened with death. The charges were dismissed on the grounds that, contrary to her claims, there were no signs of sexual abuse. However, the Chihuahua government was being pressured to find the perpetrator of the Ciudad Juárez femicides in Lote Bravo and Sharif, with his criminal background, was the ideal candidate to be the serial killer. The Chihuahua Attorney General's Office sought to establish him as responsible for the multiple homicides.
Bio by: Ola K Ase
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