The Big Picture

• Rosa Peral's complex life and crime story unfolds through the lens of media sensationalism and personal relationships.
• Conflicting narratives arise between Rosa Peral's portrayals in the fictional Burning Body' and the documentary Rosa Peral's Tapes, adding layers to the murder case.
• The puzzling case of Pedro Rodríguez's murder delves into suspicion, manipulation, and a love triangle with devastating consequences.

Netflix’s offerings on the life and crime of Rosa Peral, responsible for one of Spain’s most notorious killings in recent history, presents its pivotal character on similar lines. In the eight-episode retelling of the story behind Officer Pedro Rodríguez’s murder, Burning Body, Rosa Peral is presented in her first appearance as a torn lover desperate to reunite with her partner. On the other hand, in the Netflix true-crime documentary film Rosa Peral’s Tapes, Rosa Peral herself takes the stage to paint herself as a victim of her circumstances. But despite presenting slightly differing perspectives of the crime, which came to be popularly known as el Crimen de la Guardia Urbana (the Crime of the City Guard), both these latest Netflix releases offer a compelling story that only gets complicated with each passing moment, as a result of the horrifying true story that inspired them.

Although established much later in Burning Body, the media’s attitude toward Rosa Peral becomes the starting point of the narrative presented in the documentary film. The media clearly had a target in front of them — a promiscuous police officer who’s suspected to be the murderer of her partner. In her first interview after being jailed, Rosa Peral clearly points out she was a victim of media sensationalism even before the trial began. In Burning Body, Rosa (played by Money Heist star Úrsula Corberó) faces a similar realization during her trial. But Rosa’s biggest hurdle in clearing her name was her own past, marked by a series of incidents that cast serious suspicion on the character and intentions of the former police officer.

Who Is Rosa Peral from 'Burning Body'?

Burning Body’s story starts when the charred remains of 38-year-old Guardia Urbana de Barcelona officer Pedro Rodriguez (José Manuel Poga), were found inside his burnt car in the Foix reservoir. Although Pedro’s partner at the time, Rosa Peral, and her on-and-off lover, Albert López (Quim Gutiérrez), tried to focus the authorities’ attention on Rosa’s ex-husband Rubén, named Javi (Isak Férriz) in Burning Body, eventually the investigators were able to catch Rosa and Albert’s role in the crime. Burning Body dives into the turbulent past of Rosa Peral to find possible justifications for her crimes — an approach even the prosecution and media adopted during the real-life trials.

Rosa’s relationship with Rubén began in 2000 and the couple got married in 2013. From the marriage, Rosa had two daughters. Burning Body capitalizes on some real rumors that spread around Rosa’s early life when the news of her involvement in Pedro’s death first broke out. It was falsely rumored that Rosa worked as a stripper in a club where she met Rubén, adding to her seductress persona painted by the media. Burning Body shows Úrsula Corberó in this light, trying to seduce her future husband through a sensuous dance. As a result of her toxic relationship with Rubén, Rosa grew closer to Albert, her patrolling partner. However, she did not pursue her relationship with Albert due to their differing perceptions of the future.

At this time, Rosa found another pillar of support in Pedro Rodriquez, an officer who was, in the past, accused of committing an act of violence toward a biker. But it’s the support given to Rosa by Pedro when Rosa found herself amidst a trial that really made her choose him. In 2008, Rosa ended up having an affair with another officer named Óscar, unbeknownst to her husband. When Rosa tried ending the relationship, Óscar allegedly sent a mass email with compromising pictures of Rosa, according to Rosa’s version. It was believed by some within the police department that Rosa herself sent the pictures. Rosa’s multiple relationships during this period and the “revenge porn” trial only contributed further to her femme fatale image once she became a suspect in the death of Pedro. Also, Rosa’s continued relationship with Albert, who according to Rosa is the guilty one, between 2013 and 2017, further landed her in trouble, at least in the public eye. The love triangle, which came to light after Pedro’s death, did not assist Rosa Peral in her endeavors to claim innocence.

Rosa and Albert's Relationship Proved Lethal for Pedro

Rosa Peral denied her relationship with Pedro in front of Albert after Albert appeared at her house and found that Rosa and Pedro were staying together in January 2017. Although Rosa later claimed that she did it because she felt threatened by Albert, it only cast more doubt on her intentions and solidified her image as a woman trying to develop multiple relationships. Later in April, Albert and Rosa met again at a coffee shop in the presence of her friends. As shown in Burning Body, Albert offered a ring to Rosa, which she happily accepted, according to her friends.

Although in the series there remains some shadow of doubt regarding whether Rosa invited Albert to the café, the documentary film makes it clear that it was Rosa who sent her location to Albert. One of the friends present at the location later confirmed during the trial that Rosa chose Pedro for the moment. Also, as per the friend’s testimony, the scene in which Úrsula Corberó’s Rosa can be seen wearing both rings from Albert and Pedro respectively, actually happened.

According to Rosa, she chose Pedro because he had accepted her daughters — something she could never see Albert doing. But despite Rosa’s continued insistence, many exchanges over emails and WhatsApp messages reflect Albert’s close association with Rosa and their unhealthy relationship. A particular audio message, which does not clearly suggest the planning of Pedro’s murder but does hint that Rosa was in contact with a person (most likely Albert) and was planning to do something soon, became pivotal evidence from the prosecution’s perspective. Although the audio message did not explicitly hint at Pedro’s murder, it provided enough footing for the prosecution to stand on, especially considering the contradictions in Rosa’s claims regarding her relationship with Albert.

The very next day, on April 20, Albert bought a phone that was used on two occasions, one being the day on which Pedro was allegedly murdered. Moreover, the telephone records helped place Albert in the vicinity of Rosa’s house, cementing the suspicions that Albert and Rosa were in continuous contact days before the gruesome murder was carried out. In total, there were phone calls exchanged between Rosa and Albert, lasting a total of 28 minutes. However, there’s little solid evidence to suggest that Rosa and Albert conspired to murder Pedro during these calls or during their meeting at Rosa’s house on April 25.

Did Rosa's Daughter Witness the Crime?

Fast-forward to the night of April 30, Rosa and Pedro returned from a family dinner. Minutes later, Rosa called Albert, apparently after seeing a ton of messages from him. After the initial call, Albert then called Rosa again from the other phone he had bought on April 20. Thereon, it is assumed that Rosa drugged Pedro before Albert joined him at the house to carry out the final act: Pedro Rodríguez’s murder. According to Rosa’s lawyer Olga Arderiu’s interview in Rosa Peral’s Tapes, this theory was a consequence of the testimony by Antonia, Rubén’s partner at the time of the trial.

As Rosa’s minor daughter did not testify, even Antonia was not allowed to give a proxy testimony. However, she was able to mime what Rosa’s daughter had suggested she had seen, giving the impression to those present that Rosa’s daughter had seen an intoxicated Pedro on the night of the events. According to Olga, despite the judge’s insistence that the testimony should not be recorded, it did have an impact on the jury’s decision. In Burning Body, it is strongly hinted that Rosa’s daughter, named Sophia in the series, did strongly suspect her mother. In real life, however, Rosa emphasizes that her daughter never directly said anything, and only Antonia, who did not share a cordial relationship with Rosa, propagated this lie.

After the crime was committed, Rosa and Albert played along to make it look like Pedro was alive, through various messages. In Burning Body, it is even suggested that Rosa went to the extent of making payments on Pedro’s behalf. Another attempt in this direction was Rosa’s father’s fake testimony about seeing Pedro alive on May 2. Although in Burning Body, Rosa’s mother breaks under the pressure of the interrogation room, it was Rosa’s father who later confessed that it was a lie.

Who Killed Pedro Rodríguez — Rosa or Albert?

In the interview, Rosa claimed that she did not see what Albert did to Pedro before she was forced to accompany Albert to the location where Pedro’s car was eventually burned. During all this, the prosecution mainly questioned Rosa’s inability to call for help despite being a police officer. After the car was burned, Rosa was threatened and dropped at her home by Albert. According to Rosa’s version of the events, mainly presented in the documentary film, Rosa did not seek help or reveal to anyone the circumstances that led to Pedro’s death out of fear for her and her daughter’s life.

On the other hand, Burning Body sheds greater light on the version of the story presented by Albert during the trial than the true crime documentary does. During the trial, while Rosa maintained that Albert planned and carried out the crime out of jealousy, Albert López claimed that the crime was committed by Rosa alone and Rosa forced Albert to support her in her actions, which he did out of love for the woman. Albert’s version of the story supports the image of Rosa put forth by the media, that of a manipulative and shrewd “Black Widow."

Although it was never conclusively proved who actually killed Pedro, the evidence and circumstances suggested that Albert and Rosa shared the guilt, in some capacity or other. They both were present the night Pedro was brutally burned to death. Accordingly, the jury sentenced Rosa Peral to 25 years in prison and Albert to 20 years in prison. Presently, Rosa Peral is serving her sixth year at the Mas Enric prison in Tarragona.

Burning Body is currently streaming on Netflix in the U.S.

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