by Ray Black
Adolfo did not take this rejection well. Days later, the head of the family and six of the household disappeared. One week later, police found seven bodies, which had been dumped in the Zumpango River. They had been tortured, mutilated and some parts of the bodies had been removed. In Adolfo’s cauldron, these missing fingers, toes, hearts and genitals were bubbling away satisfactorily.
SARA MARIA ALDRETE VILLAREAL
Across the border in Brownsville, Texas, Sara Maria Aldrete Villareal was a conscientious and successful student at the Porter High School. A model pupil according to her teachers, she was encouraged to pursue a college education but she became distracted by the attentions of Miguel Zacharias. They married, but it was not to last and after only five months they had separated.
With her failed marriage behind her, the Mexican-born Sara returned home to her parents’ house in Matamoros, but also resumed her academic career and enrolled at Texas Southmost College to study physical education. Once again, she excelled in her chosen field and quickly became one of the college’s most outstanding students. She devoted a lot of time to her studies and even commenced part-time work as both an aerobics instructor and a secretary in the college’s athletic department. She was so busy that she only went home for weekends and holidays. When she did go home, she spent time with her boyfriend, the drug-dealer Gilberto Sosa, who had close links with the notorious Hernandez family.
The relationship with Sosa brought Sara swiftly to the attention of Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo who had been carefully monitoring Sosa’s movements in order to assess his position on the Mexican drug scene, and to evaluate his possible connections. When he spied the tall, athletic and very beautiful Sara, he engineered a meeting.
Adolfo swung his Mercedes into Sara’s car as she drove through Matamoros one afternoon in July 1987, choreographing the accident to ensure that he just missed her. He got out of the car, and apologised profusely to Sara. Instantly she was attracted by his good looks and charming manner, and there was clearly a very obvious attraction between them. They became friends, and slowly Adolfo set about destroying her relationship with Sosa. He achieved this by planting doubt in Sosa’s mind about Sara’s fidelity. Finally, he made an anonymous phone-call to Sosa and informed him that Sara was cheating on him. Despite her protestations of innocence, the jealous Sosa finished with Sara and she turned to Adolfo for comfort.
The pair did embark on a sexual relationship, but Adolfo’s homosexuality could not be suppressed, and the physical side of their relationship soon petered out. By the time this happened though, it mattered little to Sara who had, in quite a short time, become completely brainwashed by Adolfo’s beliefs and practices. She became fascinated by the occult and discarded her passion for her physical education at college to pursue a deeper interest in magic and witchcraft. To Adolfo she became ‘La Madrina’, the godmother.
THE HERNANDEZ FAMILY
Sara had retained her links, originally established via Sosa, with the Hernandez family, and Adolfo was keen to exploit them. He predicted that the family would consult Sara over a problem, and that when they did, she was to introduce them to him. It all came to pass.
Adolfo’s plan couldn’t have been orchestrated at a better time. There was much discontent in the Hernandez family and their position on the drug scene was threatened by heavy competition. Adolfo walked in with the answers to all their problems – magic. For the nominal fee of 50 per cent of their wealth, and their complete compliance with his instructions, Adolfo promised to rid them of their enemies. He would not only dispose of the rival drug dealers, but would do so by sacrificing them to the spirits. This way the spirits would offer safety and protection to the family. He also claimed that by trusting him implicitly, he could make the family members and their employees invisible to the police and resistant to their bullets.
And so the killing began, becoming more bloodthirsty and sadistic with every sacrifice. According to Adolfo, excruciating suffering was fundamental to the beliefs of Palo Mayombe and the more agonising the death, the more pleased the spirits were. When two members of the Hernandez family were abducted by a rival drug gang, and subsequently released unharmed, Adolfo claimed that they had been saved purely by a ghastly torture and sacrifice that he had conducted, and by the family’s faith in him and in Palo Mayombe.
Adolfo increased the slaughter, and drug dealers were sacrificed indiscriminately. Adolfo even murdered a 14-year-old member of the Hernandez family, realising too late who the young boy was. There were however, no consequences. Adolfo stole contraband from all the dealers he murdered, and by early 1989 had accumulated 800 kilos of marijuana. He decided to smuggle it into the US, but realising that it was such a big job, knew that he would need a very special sacrifice to ensure a safe journey. Having struggled with a previous sacrifice whom he ended up simply having to shoot, he instructed his followers to go out and bring back someone who would not fight, but who would really scream. They returned with Mark Kilroy.
AFTERMATH OF THE KILROY KILLING
Adolfo did not expect the reaction which the Kilroy murder triggered.
Perhaps society had turned a blind eye to the dark and sinister dealings of the drugs world, and allowed the dealers and henchmen to operate within their own rules. Maybe they felt that those who had suffered such gruesome deaths deserved their fate. But when an innocent college student met with such a violent end, there was silence no longer.
Kilroy’s family, with the support of the US and their political connections behind them, demanded that Mark’s killer be found. The Mexican police were forced to take action, recognising that by killing an American – and a wealthy, white one at that – Adolfo had this time gone too far. They were going to have to bring him to justice to avoid a disastrously damaging international outcry.
In spite of the fervour building up around him, Adolfo still had to complete his deal on the 800kg of marijuana. He decided that Gilberto Sosa, Sara’s former boyfriend, would make the necessary sacrifice. The deed done, he successfully smuggled the drugs across the border.
ADOLFO ON THE RUN
But the net was closing in on Adolfo. Serafin Hernandez Garcia had been arrested by police and had led them to his ranch, where evidence of his sinister and sadistic rituals, and the mutilated corpses of the victims themselves, had been discovered. Showing less faith in the protection of the spirits than his disciple Garcia, Adolfo fled, taking Sara, two male lovers, and a hit man from the Hernandez family with him.
His first thought was to run to Miami, but the authorities knew that this was where his mother lived, and were already looking for him there. So he remained in Mexico City, relying on his followers to hide him for short periods each.
Media attention was on the increase and shocking television shows were aired which detailed the events in Matamoros. These were broadcast internationally. Nationwide sightings of Adolfo and Sara were repeatedly reported but none of them confirmed. The police presence at border controls swelled and everyone was on the look-out for the fugitives, but they were nowhere to be found.
PARANOIA
Adolfo turned to his tarot cards, and in them read betrayal. He became more and more paranoid that his close friends were going to turn him in. He hardly slept, threatened everyone with the power of the spirits, and kept a submachine gun with him at all times. When he saw on the television news of April 22, 1989, that arsonists had burnt his ranch to ashes, and witnessed priests exorcising the remains with holy water, Adolfo flew into a blind fury and destroyed the apartment in which he was hiding.
Two days later, another of Adolfo’s disciples was arrested. He, like Garcia, held nothing back when questioned by police and confirmed all the statements they had already received detailing the occult practices at the ranch, and naming Adolfo de Jesus Constanza as the leader, El Padrino.
On April 27, Adolfo moved himself and his elite entourage one last time. Still unable to leave Mexico City, they moved to an apartment on Rio Sena. Witnessing the daily ch
ange in Adolfo and his increasing paranoia, and consequently fearing for her own safety, Sara secretly wrote a note which she threw from the window on to the street below. It read:
Please call the judicial police and tell them that in this building are those that they are seeking. Give them the address, fourth floor. Tell them that a woman is being held hostage. I beg for this, because what I want most is to talk – or they’re going to kill the girl.
The note was discovered, but discarded. Its finder believed it to be a joke in very poor taste and thought nothing more of it.
In spite of her failed attempt, Sara did not have much longer to wait. On May 6, police were conducting a routine door-to-door enquiry, looking for information on a missing child, completely unconnected with Adolfo’s crimes. They arrived at the building on Rio Sena. Within an hour, Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo lay dead.
SHOOT-OUT
Adolfo had spied the police from his window and lost his nerve, assuming they had come for him. He opened fire, raining bullets down on them. The unsuspecting police very quickly called for help and were instantly joined by their backup. In total, 180 policemen surrounded the building. The shoot-out continued for 45 minutes, until Adolfo realised that he was never going to escape. He gave his gun to the former Hernandez hitman and ordered him to kill him and one of his male lovers. At first, the order was refused, but Adolfo became angry and threatened him with eternal damnation. The gun was fired, and Adolfo slumped to the ground. Police charged into the building, found the two dead bodies, and arrested the three survivors.
SENTENCES FOR THE SURVIVORS
With El Padrino dead, the Mexican authorities turned their attention to the surviving members of Adolfo’s cult – the three they had pulled out of the apartment on Rio Sena, and the many who had already been arrested and had happily confessed to participating in the slaughters.
All but Sara Aldrete admitted to their own involvement. She however, claimed that she had been a victim. Her lengthy protestations gave her away though, and instead of clearing her of guilt, they exposed the knowledge she had had of the secret and brutal rituals of the cult. She received a sentence of 62 years from the Mexican courts, and should she ever be released from prison there, then the US authorities are ready to try her for the murder of Mark Kilroy. Over 20 other members of Adolfo’s cult were brought to justice – the longest sentence passed was 67 years.
Yet Mexico is still not breathing easy. Many suspicious crimes cannot be explained, and some ritual murders remain unsolved. Former members of Adolfo’s cult, including Sara Aldrete, claim that their religion has not reached its conclusion and that Adolfo’s practices continue. Mexican authorities believe that Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo was responsible for the majority of the crimes, even some for which they cannot posthumously convict him. They fear though that he didn’t commit them all, but that somebody else, who has yet to be identified, did.
The Kirtland Killings
Jeffrey Lundgren and his Mormon splinter group
Jeffrey don lundgren was born on May 3, 1950 in the city of Independence, Missouri. The Lundgrens seemed like an average American family in many ways, Jeffrey’s father Don went to work whilst his mother, Lois, stayed at home to look after him and his younger brother and keep the house looking presentable.
The family were avid church goers, and like many Independence residents, were part of the local Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) congregation, which is an off-shoot in between Christianity and Mormonism. The vision statement of the RLDS reads as follows:
We believe that the future belongs to God and that the promise of God's kingdom shall be fulfiled. We have a vision of that kingdom where the name of Jesus Christ is truly honoured, where God's will is done on earth, where the hungry are fed, poverty is alleviated, sinners are repentant, and sin is forgiven. We believe that love is the proper foundation of our relationship with others, that opportunity to grow in the likeness of Christ should be fostered, and that the resources of the world can be managed to respect and preserve their creation and purpose. We have a vision of a time when all evil is overcome and peace prevails. Impelled by this vision, we will be an international community of prophetic vision, faithful to the risen Christ, empowered by hope, spending ourselves courageously in the pursuit of peace and justice.
Although there was nothing extremely unusual about the Lundgrens, and they did try their best to raise a respectable family, it was noted on many occasions that Don Lundgren was an overly authoritative father with many strict rules. He would often severely punish both Jeffrey and his brother for childish pranks that they did not deserve such reprimand for. In comparison Lois Lundgren was quite a distant mother who did not give her sons much maternal love, she was a stand-offish, unapproachable woman whose main priority in her role as the housewife was definitely the home rather than the children.
Jeffrey Lundgren went to a local school and was seen by the majority of his peers as a loner with a pretentious streak. Throughout school nothing much really kept his attention, but through his father he found one hobby that kept his interest – shooting guns. Don had had this pastime for years and when Jeffrey got to his teens Don thought he should share his hobby with his son. They would spend hours together practising target shooting as well as gun maintenance and also hunting and wilderness survival, these were all skills that Don Lundgren thought any respectable American male should have.
Jeffrey managed to graduate from high school, and was accepted on an electrical engineering course at the Central Missouri State University. In his first year at University he met some students that he was able to befriend at the RLDS student house; one person in particular would prove to have a life changing effect on him. This person was Alice Keeler.
A SUITABLE PARTNER
Alice was born on January 21, 1951 in a small town about 20 miles outside of Independence, called Macks Creek. She possessed many similarities to Jeffrey whilst growing up, preferring her local church group to her school and peers. She was the eldest of four siblings and had a relatively happy childhood up until the age of 12 when her father found out he had multiple sclerosis. As her father got weaker so did the family. He was no longer able to provide for them so Alice’s mother had to get a job as a secretary at a local firm. This meant that as the oldest child, Alice instinctively took on her mother’s role as carer for her three siblings and her infirm father. This misfortune caused her to become even more introverted at school but she managed to stay on top of things with the help of the church youth group which continued to take precedence over school activities. When everything else had crumbled around her, her faith had kept her going.
Despite her problems at home and school, Alice graduated from high school and gained a place at the Central Missouri State University where again she became an active member of the student church youth group. It was here that Jeffrey and Alice first met and it was not long before they became an item.
Alice fell pregnant to Jeffrey in 1969, and to the disappointment of both sets of parents, they dropped out of their university courses. Jeffrey’s parents were so enraged by their son’s behaviour that they refused to go to the wedding when the couple married the following spring.
Jeffrey needed to start providing for his new family so he signed up to the Navy and was enlisted to serve as an electrical technician. He served four years in this position and by the time he came out on honourable discharge his second son had been born.
The family of four settled in San Diego, California and rekindled their interest in the RLDS. Before long they were strong members of the congregation who spent a lot of their spare time organising and participating in the churches events and making a conscious effort to enlist new members, trying especially hard to convert any friends, old and new, who were of different beliefs.
Things started to take a turn for the worse in the late ’70s. Ever since he had left the US Navy, Jeffrey had found it extremely difficult to find a job that would bring in a big enough income to s
upport his ever growing family. He decided to relocate his family back to Independence hoping that finding a job would be easier there, but the job market did not seem to be the problem as whenever Jeffrey did manage to get a job he could not hold it down due to his dream-like, irresponsible personality.
VIOLENT STREAK
When the Lundgrens’ third child, Kirsten, was born in 1979 Jeffrey seemed to switch from being annoyingly irresponsible to downright aggressive, and started to abuse his wife and children. It is reported that Alice even needed surgery once after Jeffrey pushed her down a flight of stairs.
In the September of 1980, Alice gave birth to the Lundgrens’ fourth child – family and friends have speculated that she became pregnant in order to try and save her rapidly crumbling marriage; to stop the abuse and curb Jeffrey’s roaming eye.
TOO LIBERAL
Around this time, in the early ’80s, the RLDS was having a spring clean and started to change some of their archaic rules. When, in 1985, they announced that they were going to start allowing women to become ordained as priests, Jeffrey knew it was time to move onto something new. Jeffrey felt disenchanted with these liberal ideologies, and the lay minister desired to return to the fundamentals of the Mormon faith, which among other things, taught women to be submissive to men.
Jeffrey believed that the truth lay somewhere in the Scriptures and even though the RLDS was not going to help him, he would still find the answers. It was not long before a Mormon splinter group had formed, with Jeffrey Lundgren in command and other disillusioned RLDS members as his followers.
