Rafael Ralph Tapanes, a Hispanic man, was murdered in South Florida on April 23, 1986. His killing is listed among the final known victims of Manuel Pardo, a former police officer and Marine who carried out a series of killings between January and April 1986. Pardo targeted people he accused of involvement in drug trafficking and framed his actions as a vigilante mission against drug dealers.

Investigators linked Pardo to the murder scenes through ballistic evidence and by finding stolen items in his possession. Pardo was arrested in 1986, tried in 1988, convicted, and later sentenced to death. Tapanes’s death closed out Pardo’s known spree and remains a stark example of violence carried out under the guise of vigilantism.

If anyone knew Rafael Tapanes or has information about his life or the events of April 23, 1986, please share what you know.