On April 5, 2018, a young man named Luis Hernandez sat inside a small stone shack with a metal roof, located on a remote property in northern Venezuela. Luis was a painter, and for the past year or so, this humble shack had doubled as both his home and his art studio.
The place was always a mess—dirty dishes, leftover food, and art supplies scattered across the floor. But what stood out were the walls, adorned with his most prized possessions: his artwork. Luis primarily painted dramatic portraits using bold, vivid colors. One wall featured a striking red portrait of a man, while another displayed the face of a woman painted entirely in blue, except for her bright red lips. These intense works of art gave the impression that they were watching him as he painted.
But on this particular day, Luis tried to push that eerie thought out of his mind. He sat in the middle of the shack, focused on completing his latest project. He dipped his brush into black ink and added the final touches. Once done, he stepped back and admired the finished piece. He felt emotional—this painting was different. It wasn’t for fun or for money. It was his way of coping with a recent tragedy.
The shack and the rural property it stood on belonged to Luis’s boyfriend, Lisandro Rosales Garcia. The two had met about a year earlier, when Luis was homeless and living on the streets. Lisandro offered him a place to stay, and Luis gratefully accepted. Soon after, their relationship turned romantic. For a time, Luis felt truly understood and supported—especially in his art.
But two months before that April day, Lisandro had mysteriously gone missing. The police were investigating, but Luis had received no updates. The only way he knew how to deal with the pain was through his art. The piece he had just completed was a tribute to his missing partner.
Suddenly, Luis heard voices outside. That was unusual—this property was extremely remote, and visitors were rare unless invited. Before he could react, the voices were followed by loud pounding on the door. When Luis opened it, several police officers stormed inside. At first, he thought they were there with news about Lisandro’s disappearance.
But they didn’t say a word. Instead, they began collecting Luis’s paints, brushes, and other materials. One officer noticed the painting Luis had just finished. After looking at it for a few moments, the officer turned, ran outside, and vomited.
The painting, at first glance, seemed unremarkable. It resembled a stained-glass design with green leaves and red and blue flowers. But when the truth behind its creation came to light, the image became horrifying.
Luis Hernandez was not just a painter—he was a serial killer.
After murdering his victims, Luis used their blood, ashes, and other body parts to create his artwork. Investigators discovered that after a fight in February 2018, Luis had killed Lisandro and began using his remains to create the tribute painting. The red in the piece was Lisandro’s blood. The black was made from his ashes.
As police searched the property, they uncovered the remains of at least six people. Evidence also indicated that Luis had been cannibalizing his victims. Following his arrest, Luis confessed fully to his crimes. He is currently incarcerated in Venezuela.
What appeared to be a story of heartbreak and healing through art quickly turned into one of the most chilling revelations in recent history—an artist who turned human suffering into his canvas, hiding horror behind beauty.