Pedro Rodrigues Filho, known as Pedrinho Matador, was a Brazilian criminal whose name became widely known through decades of criminal proceedings, imprisonment and media coverage. Born in Santa Rita do SapucaÃ, Minas Gerais, in 1954, he became one of the most recognizable names in Brazil’s history of violent crime. Brazilian courts convicted him of multiple homicides, and he received prison sentences totaling hundreds of years under the sentencing rules applicable at the time. Reports published during his life stated that he claimed responsibility for more than one hundred killings, while documented convictions established a lower number. This distinction is important because statements attributed to Rodrigues should not automatically be treated as confirmed cases.
Rodrigues spent more than four decades in prison across different periods. He was released in 2007 after serving approximately 34 years and later returned to prison in 2011 in connection with another judicial proceeding. He was released again in 2018 after serving the applicable sentence. His unusual criminal history and public statements made him the subject of extensive Brazilian media coverage and books about criminal behavior.
On March 5, 2023, Pedro Rodrigues Filho was killed in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, at the age of 68. According to police records reported by CNN Brasil, he was attacked by armed men outside a relative’s home. Police subsequently investigated the circumstances surrounding his death. In 2024, investigators in Mogi das Cruzes announced that they considered the homicide investigation solved and linked the killing to an alleged dispute involving local drug trafficking. That explanation was part of the police investigation and should be distinguished from a judicial conviction.
Pedrinho Matador remains a highly discussed figure in Brazilian criminal history. His documented convictions, long periods of imprisonment and later public life have continued to attract attention from journalists, researchers and the public, while claims about the exact number of people he killed remain subject to distinctions between confirmed convictions and statements attributed to him.
SOURCES
CNN Brasil
Pedrinho Matador — Police report on his death
Folha de S.Paulo
Pedrinho Matador — 2023 report
Folha de S.Paulo
Police investigation into his death — 2024
Correio Braziliense
Report on Pedrinho Matador
