Murder and revenge porn: The wild true story behind Netflix’s Burning Body

The best (or one of the only) good things about summer coming to an end is all the good TV drama shows getting released for Autumn. And the Barcelona-based series Burning Body has everybody gasping right now.

Because, although the chaos story sounds like a work of fiction, it’s all based on a true story: A 2017 case known as The Crime of the Urban Guard. So, in case you’re curious, here’s exactly what happened between Pedro Rodríguez, Albert López and Rosa Peral in real life:

So, is Burning Body actually based on a true story?

Burning Body was inspired by the murder of Guardia officer Pedro Rodríguez, who was killed by his partner Rosa Peral and her lover Albert López. All three members of the love triangle were police officers – and Rosa and Albert decided to kill Pedro so they could be together.

Pedro was killed inside the house he shared with Rosa in a beach town called Vilanova i la Geltrú by “at least one blow to his skull when he was either asleep, dozing or drugged,” the Telegraph reports. But nobody knows who actually killed him.

Pedro’s body was found burnt inside his car, which was located in a swampy reservoir near Barcelona. But the car was so charred almost nothing could be retrieved from the crime scene— apart from the car’s vehicle registration number.

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The three officers were embroiled in drama within the force long before Pedro’s murder. Albert had multiple complaints filed against him, including a conviction for assaulting a street vendor. Pedro had also been violent and had been suspended by Barcelona City Hall for reportedly beating up a driver who ran through a road check station.

Meanwhile, Rosa had suffered a revenge porn attack at a different police department when her ex sent around an explicit photo of her. She’d then been in an on-and-off relationship with Albert since 2012 – but was actually married to another man at the time.

Four years later, she started her relationship with Pedro and moved in with him. But Albert got jealous and revealed to Pedro he was also Rosa’s lover. A year later, Rosa broke up with Pedro, got back with Albert and they plotted to kill Pedro together. Seriously messy.

And where exactly are Rosa and Albert now?

While Albert and Rosa were on trial, they both tried to blame each other for Pedro’s murder. After a nationwide probe that lasted three years and deliberation from the jury, they decided both Albert and Rosa were guilty of Pedro’s murder – with malicious afterthought. Rosa was sentenced to 25 years in prison and Albert was sentenced to 20.

As well as dramatising her story in Burning Body, Netflix also secured the first ever interview with Rosa from inside prison in which she maintained her innocence and claimed she was afraid of Albert because he’d threatened to hurt her and her children if she reported Pedro’s murder, allegations he denies.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• What Netflix doesn’t tell you in the Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case documentary

• Inside MH370s cargo theory which links the United States Air Force to the missing plane 

• Enough is Enough it’s way too soon to make a Lucy Letby true crime drama 

Featured image credit via Netflix