Garavito was arrested on April 22, 1999. He confessed to killing 140 children. However, he is still under investigation for the murder of 172 children in over 59 cities in Colombia.



Once captured, Garavito was sentenced to the maximum penalty available in Colombia, which was 30.

However, as he confessed to the crimes and helped authorities locate bodies, Colombian law allowed him to apply for special benefits, including historical reduced sentence to 22 years and events possibly earlier version for greater cooperation and good behavior.