Editing Cayetano Santos Godino

{{Villain Infobox
|Image =Petiso2.jpg
|fullname = Cayetano Santos Godino
|alias =  The Big-Eared Midget<br>The Monster of Palermo
|origin = Buenos Aires, Argentina
|occupation = Serial Killer
|crimes = [[Murder]]<br>[[Torture]]<br>[[Arson]]<br>
|type of villain = Sociopathic Serial Killer}}
{{Quote|I like to watch firefighters work… It's nice to see how they fall into the fire.|Cayetano's statement after setting fire to a warehouse on Corrientes Street.}}

'''Cayetano Santos Godino''' (October 31, 1896 – November 15, 1944), also known as El Petiso Orejudo ("the big-eared midget"), was an serial killer and considered as one of the greatest sociopaths in Argentine history, who terrorized Buenos Aires at age 16. In the early 20th century he was responsible for the murder of four children, the attempted murder of another seven children, and seven counts of arson.

==Biography==
The Godinos arrived in Buenos Aires from Italy. Fiore and Lucía chose to disembark in 1888 with all their hopes placed in the new land. The couple were originally from the town of San Demetrio Corone, in the Calabrian province of Cosenza.

Fiore was responsible for the training of who would become the first serial killer in Argentine police history. An alcoholic and a batterer, he had contracted syphilis some time before Cayetano's birth. The child came into the world with serious health problems. In fact, during his first years of life he was on the brink of death several times due to enteritis. Throughout his childhood, Cayetano was a victim of severe beatings and mistreatment by his father.

Cayetano was not the only child of that couple who would suffer serious illnesses. His brother Antonio was epileptic and, furthermore, following his father's example, he became an irrecoverable drinker. Later he would join Fiore in the punishments applied to his younger brother.

Cayetano Godino's childhood was spent on the street, wandering. From the age of five he attended several schools, from which he was always expelled due to his lack of interest in studies and his rebellious behavior. The scene of his raids and criminal career would be the vacant lots and tenements of the neighborhoods of Almagro and Parque Patricios, at that time still on the edge of the pampas. It was an area of rest houses. But it was also a suburb populated by countrymen and foreigners.

==Victims & fires==
*'''Miguel Depaola''', on September 28, 1904, when Godino was barely 7 years old, he tricked Miguel Depaola, almost two years old, to a vacant lot and there he beat him and then threw him on a pile of thorns. A passing police officer notices what happened and takes both children to the police station, where they would later be picked up by their respective mothers

*'''Ana Neri''' (18 months), the following year, Godino attacks a neighboring infant who was barely 18 months old. He takes her to a vacant lot where he repeatedly hits her on the head with a rock. Once again he is discovered by a police officer who puts an end to the attack and arrests him but, given his young age, he is released that same night

*'''María Rosa Face''', what would be Godino's first murder went unnoticed and would only be discovered years later when he himself confessed to the police. According to what he said, in 1906 he took a girl of approximately three years old and took her to a vacant lot on Rio de Janeiro Street, where he tried to strangle her. He then buried her alive in a ditch, which he covered with cans. The authorities, upon learning of this crime, went to the place but found that a two-story house had been built. However, a report of disappearance dated March 29, 1906, of a three-year-old girl named María Rosa Face, was registered at the 10th police station. The missing girl was never found

*'''Severino González Caló''', on September 9, 1908, he took 2-year-old Severino González to a warehouse located in front of the Colegio del Sagrado Corazón. There he immerses him in a horse pool, later covering it with a board to drown the little one. The owner of the place, Zacarías Caviglia, discovers the attempt but Godino defends himself by saying that the child had been taken there by a woman dressed in black, of whom he provides specific details. He is taken to the police station, where he is picked up the next day

*'''Julio Botte''', six days later, on September 15, at Colombres 632, he burned the eyelids of Julio Botte, 22 months old, with a cigarette. He is discovered by the victim's mother, but manages to flee

*On January 17, 1912 Cayetano, who was already known on the streets with the nickname The Big-Eared Midget, entered a winery on Corrientes Street and gave rein to another of his great passions; the fire The fire it caused took four hours to be extinguished by firefighters

*'''Arturo Laurora''', on January 26, 1912, the body of 13-year-old Arturo Laurora was found in a house offered for rent on Pavón Street. The body is discovered, beaten and half-naked, with a piece of string tied around the neck. His disappearance had been reported just the day before. Godino would later confess to being the author of this crime.

*'''Reyna Bonita Vaínicoff''', on March 7, 1912, Godino set fire to the clothes of a five-year-old girl. The little girl died after 16 days of agony at the Children's Hospital

*In the following months of 1912, Godino caused two more fires that were easily controlled by firefighters without causing any casualties

*On September 24, 1912, while working in a winery owned by Paulino Gómez, Godino stabbed a mare to death three times. He was not arrested due to lack of evidence

*Just a few days later, he set fire to the Vail station, located on current Carlos Calvo and Oruro streets, owned by the Anglo-Argentina tram company. The fire was controlled by firefighters

*'''Roberto Russo''', on November 8, 1912, Godino tricked two-year-old Roberto Russo into accompanying him to a store where he would presumably buy some candy. He takes him to an alfalfa field a few blocks away where he ties his feet and proceeds to choke him with a piece of the rope he uses to tie his pants. They are discovered by an alfalfa laborer, who turns them over to the authorities. Cayetano Godino stated that he had found the child tied up and was rescuing him when they were discovered. He is released due to lack of merit

*'''Carmen Ghittone''', on November 16, 1912, in a vacant lot located on Deán Funes and Chiclana streets, he tried to hit three-year-old Carmen Ghittone. A guard makes an appearance and Godino manages to escape

*'''Catalina Naulener''', days later, on November 20, he took the five-year-old girl Catalina Naulener from the corner of Muñiz and San Juan. She looks for a vacant lot on Directorio Street, but before finding it the minor refuses to continue. Godino gets out of control and hits her. The owner of the house located at San Juan 78 intervenes and Godino manages to flee again

*'''Gesualdo Giordano''', Godino's last crime is probably the best documented of his career. On December 3, 1912, his victim – barely three years old – left his house located at 2185 Progreso Street like every morning after having breakfast with his parents to join his classmates to play. That same morning - despite his father's usual shouts - Cayetano Godino leaves his house located in Urquiza 1970. After wandering the streets for a while, Godino finds the group of boys playing on Progreso Street. He joins them without arousing any suspicion because thanks to his friendly appearance it has always allowed him to gain the trust of his victims. Shortly after, he manages to convince Gesualdo to accompany him to buy some candy. A while before and without success, he invited Marta Pelosi, 2 years old, but the minor, scared, took refuge in his home. Thus, victim and murderer head without haste to the store located at Progreso 2599 where they buy two cents worth of chocolate candies. The youngest immediately demands them, but Godino, imperturbable, decides to dose them: he allows him some, and promises him the rest if he agrees to accompany him to a certain remote place, the Quinta Moreno (where the Bernasconi Institute currently stands).

Once at the entrance, the boy cries and resists entering. But the murderer has done too much, he doesn't even hesitate: he grabs him violently by the arms, takes him into the country house and corners him near a brick oven. He knocks him down hard and calms him by placing his right knee on his chest. Godino knows the mechanism and takes off the stringer that he wears as a belt (they are cotton loops used in masonry to hold plumbs), and begins to wrap it around Gesualdo's neck, turning it 13 times and proceeds to strangle him. But the minor tries to get up, so Godino proceeds to tie his hands and feet, cutting the rope with a lit match. Again he proceeds to suffocate him with the rope but the boy refuses to die. Looking for another way to kill him, Godino sets out to find a suitable tool. His search takes him outside the premises where he runs into Gesualdo's father, who asks him about the boy's whereabouts, to which Godino replies that he has not seen him and suggests that he go to the nearest police station to file a report. Meanwhile, the Big Ear finds an old 10 cm nail, returns with it to his victim, and using a stone as a hammer he sinks it into the dying child's temple. After covering it with an old sheet of zinc, he flees the crime scene.

That night, during his victim's wake, Godino makes an appearance. After observing Gesualdo's corpse for some time, he flees the scene crying. As he later stated, he wanted to see if the corpse still had the nail in its head. Unfortunately for him, two police officers, Deputy Commissioner Peire and Chief Ricardo Bassetti, had already connected the dots with previous cases. That same morning of December 4, 1912, they raided the Godino home and arrested Cayetano. In his pockets they found a still fresh newspaper article that recounted the details of the murder and in his pants the remains of the string with which he had hanged Gesualdo.