In the annals of criminal history, few stories are as chilling and bizarre as that of Diogo Alves, a man whose legacy as Portugal’s first serial killer is preserved not only in records but in a gruesome relic: his severed head, kept in a jar for over 175 years. This macabre artifact, housed at the University of Lisbon’s Faculty of Medicine, serves as a haunting reminder of a killer’s reign of terror and the peculiar scientific curiosity that followed his execution.
A Descent into Darkness
Born in Galicia in 1810, Diogo Alves was brought to Lisbon as a young boy to serve in the wealthy households of the capital. But the life of a servant held little appeal for the ambitious and ruthless Alves. By 1836, he had found a darker path to wealth, one that led him to the towering Aqueduto das Águas Livres, a 213-foot structure that carried water into the city. It was here that Alves began his murderous spree, targeting humble farmers returning home with their earnings.
Under the cover of night, Alves would ambush his victims, robbing them of their meager possessions before hurling them off the aqueduct to their deaths. Between 1836 and 1839, he claimed an estimated 70 lives, each one plummeting to the rocky ground below. The sheer scale of the killings baffled local authorities, who initially misattributed the deaths to a wave of copycat suicides. This misconception led to a temporary closure of the aqueduct, but it did little to stop Alves’ bloodlust.
A Bandit’s End
Alves’ reign of terror didn’t end with the aqueduct murders. He later formed a gang of bandits, expanding his criminal enterprises. Their spree came to a brutal halt when they were caught in the act of murdering four people inside the home of a local doctor. Alves was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death by hanging. In 1841, the noose claimed his life, but his story was far from over.
A Head Preserved for Science
In a twist as shocking as his crimes, Alves’ execution marked the beginning of an unusual chapter in scientific history. At the time, phrenology—the now-discredited study of skull shapes to determine personality traits—was gaining traction among scientists. Eager to understand the mind of a killer, researchers at the University of Lisbon requested Alves’ head for study. His body was decapitated, and his head was meticulously preserved in a jar of formalin, where it has remained for over a century and a half.
The preserved head, with its eerie, lifelike appearance, became a subject of fascination and study. Scientists hoped to uncover physical clues to Alves’ murderous impulses, examining the contours of his skull for answers. While their efforts yielded no definitive insights, the head itself became a grim trophy, a relic of both a monstrous criminal and an era when science grappled with the mysteries of human behavior in unconventional ways.
A Chilling Legacy
Today, Diogo Alves’ head remains on display at the University of Lisbon’s Faculty of Medicine, a sobering exhibit for students and visitors. Encased in its glass prison, the head is a stark reminder of the horrors Alves inflicted and the lengths to which society went to understand his depravity. Its presence evokes a mix of curiosity, unease, and reflection on the nature of evil.
The story of Diogo Alves is more than a tale of crime and punishment; it is a window into a time when science and superstition collided, leaving behind a relic that continues to captivate and disturb. For 175 years, this killer’s final trophy has endured, preserved not in glory but in infamy, a testament to the dark corners of human history.