The Bricklayer Who Buried Sixteen Secrets

A cheerful, soft-spoken bricklayer in Santander, Spain, was linked to the murders of sixteen elderly women, all initially ruled as natural causes. How did a serial killer operate undetected for nearly two years in a close-knit community where neighbors knew neighbors?

In this episode, we delve into the shocking case of José Antonio Rodríguez Vega, a man described by his neighbors as a perfect gentleman, but by forensic psychiatrists as a psychopath of brilliant intelligence with zero remorse. We explore how his victims, all elderly women living alone, opened their doors to him, and why their deaths went uninvestigated as homicides for so long.

Case: The Santander Serial Killer
Location: Santander, Spain
Period: Late 1980s
Victims: Sixteen elderly women
Cause of Death: Asphyxiation (initially ruled natural causes)

- José Antonio Rodríguez Vega was born in Santander in 1957.
- His first confirmed victim, Victoria Rodríguez, 61, was killed by asphyxiation in April 1987.
- Forensic indicators of assault were detected in only three of the sixteen victims.
- He had a prior conviction for sexual assault, serving eight of a twenty-seven-year sentence.
- He was released after women he attacked wrote letters forgiving him, which he solicited from prison.

To listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.com

OBOMEDIA 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