Mauricio Rodriguez Silva

Serial Killer

Mauricio Rodriguez Silva: The California Killer Known as "The Monster"

Background and Early Life

Mauricio Rodriguez Silva was born on October 25, 1959, in Los Angeles, California. He was the son of a Mexican father and a Nicaraguan mother and reportedly experienced severe instability, abandonment, neglect, and abuse during his childhood. Silva was born with a cleft palate and was described as having physical abnormalities associated with excessive growth. He spent portions of his youth in Mexico and the United States, moving through unstable homes and foster-care placements. Accounts of Silva's childhood describe periods of extreme hunger and homelessness. He reportedly ran away while living in Mexico City and survived among other homeless children by scavenging for food and inhaling glue. He later said he had been exposed to sexual abuse and violence during his youth. Although these circumstances were presented by his attorneys as mitigating factors, they did not excuse the calculated and increasingly violent acts he committed as an adult.

The 1978 Killing of Troy Allison Covella

Silva's known history of lethal violence began in 1978, when he shot a teenage acquaintance identified in records as Troy Allison Covella, whose surname has also appeared as Crovella in published accounts. The circumstances leading to the confrontation remain unclear. Silva claimed that Covella had fired at him first, but Silva responded by shooting the teenager repeatedly. Some accounts state that Covella was struck nine or more times. Silva was arrested and initially faced a murder charge. He later entered a plea agreement under which the charge was reduced to voluntary manslaughter. He received a prison sentence of slightly more than five years and was incarcerated at Soledad State Prison in California. The precise calendar date of Covella's death is not consistently available in public records, but the killing occurred in 1978 in Los Angeles County. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Troy Covella Age: (18), Date of Death: 1978

Mauricio Silva (serial killer) - Wikipedia