Abdul Latif Sharif

Abdul Latif Sharif, first name also spelled Abdel (September 19, 1947 – June 1, 2006), was an Egyptian-born American chemist and chief suspect in the Juárez killings, a decade-long murder spree that began in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez in the early 1990s. Background Childhood and youth Sharif was born in Egypt as an only child. Growing up, he suffered constant sexual abuse from his father and several male relatives. Although his father was opposed to him attending school, Sharif showed signs of above-average intelligence. He also liked spending his time training carrier pigeons and going fishing in the river. When he was 12 years old, at his father's behest, he agreed to marry his 10-year-old cousin. Three years later Sharif reneged on the idea of marrying to instead travel to the United States. His family disapproved of this that anecdotally, his aunt is said to have exercised some sort of spell and witchcraft upon him. In Egypt, Sharif studied chemical engineering at Cairo University, where he achieved an average of 9.9. Working as a high school and university instructor, he spent some time in the Soviet Union before traveling to New York and found work in cosmetics, paint, and skin-care companies. He was thought to be attractive and was found to be successful in his chosen field of profession. He somehow became quite obsessed with women during his 21-year stay in the United States. He married twice and had five other partners with whom he lived for some significant periods of time.