Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Burning Body is an 8-episode Netflix miniseries that follows the investigation of a police officer, Pedro’s murder and is based on a true story. Pedro Rodriguez was a Spanish police officer whose charred remains were found in a burnt car in May 2017. The remains were unidentifiable and so brutally burnt that they had to track down Rodriguez’s identity from the vehicle’s chassis number. He was a member of Barcelona’s local police force.
The police force that Pedro Rodriguez was a part of was called the Guàrdia Urbana. The department began the investigation of Pedro’s murder and narrowed it down to two suspects. They were his girlfriend, Rosa Peral, and her other lover, Albert López. Both of them were also members of the Guàrdia Urbana. This alleged love triangle is at the center of Burning Body on Netflix. Both Peral and López engaged in mutual accusations and refused to admit to any crime. The Supreme Court upheld that the couple collectively planned out the murder to get Pedro out of the way of their relationship.
Rosa Peral’s ex-husband was also a part of the police and served in the Catalan Police Mossos d’Esquadra. Investigators initially believed that it was her ex-husband who murdered Rodriguez. Peral, too, reportedly led authorities to believe so. Rodriguez, Peral, and López were all previously accused of perpetrating police abuse. A year before his death, Rodriguez was suspended from the force for having beaten a motorist who ran through a road check. López was reportedly accused of assaulting a street vendor, El Pais reported.
Burning Body on Netflix: Where is Rosa Peral now?
According to Catalan News, Rosa Peral is currently serving her 25-year sentence at the Mas Enric prison near Tarragona, in Southern Catalonia. Albert López is currently in prison, serving his 20-year sentence. Peral and López were allegedly in an on-and-off relationship since 2012. It wasn’t until 2016 that Peral began seeing Rodriguez and moved in with him.
ARA reported that Rodriguez was found dead at Rosa Peral’s house, making her a primary suspect. Peral allegedly accused López of arriving at her house, killing Pedro, and coercing Peral to cover up the crime by threatening her that he would harm her children. López claimed that he found Pedro dead in the car by the time he arrived at Peral’s and agreed to set the copse on fire after he got back with Peral.
According to The Sun, investigators found that Peral and López had been driving around in Pedro’s car for a day after his disappearance. They reportedly made a final stop at Peral’s ex-husband’s house before setting the car on fire. The exact details of how the murder was executed remain unrevealed because of Peral and López’s firm statements that they are not guilty. Rosa Peral and Albert López were sentenced to 25 and 20 years in prison, respectively.
Before Burning Body, Netflix released a documentary titled Rosa Peral’s Tapes. The movie claimed to present Peral’s version of the case. It explores her view of what events led to Pedro Rodriguez’s murder. The documentary invited high criticism because it presented only one person’s perspective on the case. Authorities reportedly initiated disciplinary proceedings against Rosa Peral for contacting media outlets. She is only allowed to contact immediate family members.
Burning Body is a drama series that is now streaming on Netflix.
