José María Jarabo

José María Jarabo | Spree Killer

Born: 04-28-1923

He Murdered for A Ring

Spanish Spree Killer

Crime Spree: July 19 and July 21, 1958

Executed 07-04-1959

José María Jarabo was a Spanish spree killer who, between July 19 and July 21, 1958, murdered four adults and an unborn baby.

Early Life

José María Jarabo was born in Madrid, Spain, on April 28th in 1923. A few years later he moved to Miami, Florida, in the United States with his family. He hated the United States and it was there he committed his first crime (trafficking of human beings), for which he was arrested and sentenced to a term of three years in prison. He was confined in a psychiatric hospital in Springfield, Florida. After he was released he returned to Spain a few years later, in the 1940’s.

In Spain José befriended many rich people and began a career as a gambler–although a terrible one–using the money that his mother sent him from Puerto Rico. According to Jarabo’s friends, he spent a lot of money on poker and blackjack. Also, in 1950, he began drinking heavily and using a lot of drugs. As the years went by his financial situation became more dire because his mother stopped sending him money. Still, he was a handsome man and was apparently irresistible to women, as he had many conquests.

José had a British girlfriend named Beryl Martin who wanted to sell a ring. She gave it to Jarabo, who sold it to businessmen Emilio Fernandez and Félix López for a small sum. A few months later Martin asked Jarabo to get the ring back. Jarabo decided to kill the two men rather than paying for it.

The Murders of José María Jarabo

On July 19, 1958, Jarabo went to the Fernandez’s house. A 26-year-old servant woman allowed him to enter the house after Jarabo said that he was a police inspector. Once inside, Jarabo waited for Fernandez, while the servant went to the kitchen to do some housework. Planning to murder Fernandez, and not wanting to leave a witness, José María Jarabo took an iron and hit the woman on the head. She tried to defend herself, but Jarabo grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed her to death.

After killing the young woman, Jarabo hid and waited for his main victim. When Fernandez arrived home, José María Jarabo shot him in the head, killing him. Jarabo then looked for the ring but did not find it. Amparo Alonso entered the house and saw Jarabo. The woman asked, “Who are you?” Jarabo again claimed that he was a police inspector, but the woman did not believe him and tried to run. Jarabo shot her, killing the pregnant Amparo and her unborn baby. José María Jarabo slept at the scene of his crimes and returned to his hotel the next morning.

On July 21st, Jarabo went to the store where Félix López worked. Jarabo hid and waited. When the businessman showed up, Jarabo shot him to the head.

On July 22nd, José María Jarabo took a bloody suit to the dry cleaners, who promptly notified the police. A few hours later, he was arrested. He was tried and convicted of the murders, receiving the death sentence for each of them. He was executed on July 4t, 1959, by ‘garrote vil’.