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.
Arrival and life in America
Sharif emigrated legally to the United States in 1970. In New York, he had a job where he remained employed for eight years. He was later fired in 1978 because of his alcohol problems. He then moved to Pennsylvania and resided there for three years. In 1981, he moved to Florida and got employed in a company called Cercoa, Inc. It was here that he committed his first sexual assault. In 1982, he got married but quickly got divorced as a result of his violent behavior toward his wife. He became prominent as a chemist, and during a stay in Mexico he kept patents on various petrochemical processes he had invented.
Crimes
Imputation for sexual abuse
According to official accounts, Sharif, as a person, was promiscuous. He was also thought to be an alcoholic and a pedophile. He purportedly tortured animals during hunting expeditions and had sexual fetishes like collecting girls' clothes. Although, sources may say that these behaviors were mere fabrications by the prosecution to pass as credible accusations against Sharif.
Sharif's first account of sexual assault took place on 2 May 1981 in North Palm Beach, Florida. He tricked a woman by offering her a job as a housekeeper. He kidnapped her and later attacked, and sexually assaulted the victim. Upon release, the victim claimed that he said, "Oh, did I hurt you? You must go to a hospital."
Cercoa, Inc, his place of employment, provided fee for the defense. Despite having argued that the sex was consensual, Sharif got convicted on charges of assault, rape, and unlawful deprivation of liberty. He later got released on parole.
In August 1981, right after leaving prison, he assaulted another woman and received a sentence of 45-day incarceration. The defense was once more financed by Cercoa. Peculiarly, Sharif was not dismissed by the company until 1982.
After his dismissal, he moved to Gainesville, Florida. He remarried, but after he had beaten his wife unconscious he was soon served a divorce. On 17 March 1983, Sharif was charged with sexual assault for the third time. His constant ploy was to offer a woman a job to be his housekeeper, thereby luring the victim into his home. He then proceeded to rape, beat and threaten her with violence. The victim managed to escape and report him. And in 1984, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
After spending only five years in prison, Sharif was released in 1989. He did not get deported back to Egypt despite the judge ruling in this favor. That same year he moved to Midland, Texas and was hired by the transnational company, Benchmark Research and Technology. In 1991, he was arrested for drunk driving and in 1993, he committed sexual assault again. His fee for the defense was provided by Benchmark Research and Technology. He was released on parole with the condition that he never sets foot on American soil again. This was the prompt for him to move over to Ciudad Juárez but he still remained as an employee of Benchmark Research and Technology.
The charges filed against him in the United States were the following: