José Luis Calva
Encyclopedia
José Luis Calva Zepeda was a Mexican
writer
and serial killer
. Calva has been accused of murder in up to eight separate cases, all involving women. Calva had also confessed to cannibalism
.
. His father died when he was two, and his mother used to bring men to his home whom the boy had to call "dad". When he was seven, he was rape
d by a 16-year-old friend of his older brother.
He met the woman who would become his wife and mother of two of his children, Aide, in 1996. They divorce
d and she moved to the United States
with their daughters. He sank into a deep depression
.
went to Calva's home to arrest him under the suspicion that he was responsible for the disappearance of his girlfriend Alejandra Galeana, who was last seen on October 6. He was found eating a dish of human meat seasoned with lemon. Calva tried to escape by jumping through the window, severely injuring himself, but was captured.
Inside his flat, the police found the mutilated body of his girlfriend, human meat in the refrigerator, a frying pan with cooked human flesh and human bones in a box of cereal. Aside from that, an unfinished book titled Instintos Caníbales o 12 días (Cannibal Instincts or 12 days) and a picture of Anthony Hopkins
portraying Hannibal Lecter
was also found.
between 6:00am and 6:30am, was found hanging
by his belt from the roof of his prison cell. No suicide note was found.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. Calva has been accused of murder in up to eight separate cases, all involving women. Calva had also confessed to cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
.
Early life
Calva's childhood was traumaticPsychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
. His father died when he was two, and his mother used to bring men to his home whom the boy had to call "dad". When he was seven, he was rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d by a 16-year-old friend of his older brother.
He met the woman who would become his wife and mother of two of his children, Aide, in 1996. They divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d and she moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with their daughters. He sank into a deep depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
.
Arrest
In October 2007, forces of the Federal Preventive PoliceFederal Preventive Police
The Federal Police , formerly known as the Policía Federal Preventiva , are the uniformed federal police force of Mexico...
went to Calva's home to arrest him under the suspicion that he was responsible for the disappearance of his girlfriend Alejandra Galeana, who was last seen on October 6. He was found eating a dish of human meat seasoned with lemon. Calva tried to escape by jumping through the window, severely injuring himself, but was captured.
Inside his flat, the police found the mutilated body of his girlfriend, human meat in the refrigerator, a frying pan with cooked human flesh and human bones in a box of cereal. Aside from that, an unfinished book titled Instintos Caníbales o 12 días (Cannibal Instincts or 12 days) and a picture of Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
portraying Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal Lecter M.D. is a fictional character in a series of horror novels by Thomas Harris and in the films adapted from them.Lecter was introduced in the 1981 thriller novel Red Dragon as a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer...
was also found.
Trial
Calva was charged with two murders by the Court of First Instance in Mexico City. He was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 84 years in prison.Death
In the early morning hours of December 11, 2007, Calva, who apparently had committed suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
between 6:00am and 6:30am, was found hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
by his belt from the roof of his prison cell. No suicide note was found.
Further reading
- Full coverage on El UniversalEl Universal (Mexico City)El Universal is a major Mexican newspaper.El Universal was founded by Félix Palavicini and Emilio Rabasa in October 1916, in the city of Santiago de Queretaro to cover the end of the Mexican Revolution and the creation of the new Mexican Constitution...