Suvechha Sarkar
In October 2007, the community of the Colonia Guerrero neighborhood in Mexico City was left deeply shaken when the remains of 30-year-old Alejandra Galeana Garavito/Alejandra Galeana Garabito were found in an apartment in the area. The search of the crime scene uncovered some chilling details, indicating that her remains were dismembered. HBO Max’s ‘Cannibal Poet’ delves deeper into the circumstances surrounding her homicide and the identification of her suspected killer. The docuseries also features in-depth interviews with some of the law enforcement officials and a reporter who were involved in the case.
Alejandra Galeana’s Remains Were Found Three Days After She Went Missing
Soledad Galeana Garavito and her partner experienced immense joy when they welcomed their daughter, Alejandra Galeana Garavito, into the world sometime around 1977. She grew up surrounded by the immense love and support of her parents and her beloved sisters, including Carina and Mary. Alejandra was known among her family and friends for her cheerful personality and compassionate nature. In adulthood, she entered a relationship, which eventually led to their marriage and the birth of their two children. According to Soledad, Alejandra and her partner’s marriage sadly ended in a divorce due to irreconcilable differences.
In a report, Soledad stated that Alejandra had lost custody of her children but was trying her best to regain custody of them. Simultaneously, the mother of two focused on her career and began working at a local pharmacy, Interchangeable Generic Drugs Pharmacy (Farmacia de Genéricos Intercambiables). It was located in the Colonia Guerrero neighborhood of Mexico City. According to Soledad’s statements, Alejandra was at one of her sisters’ birthday celebrations at a bar on August 11, 2007, when she first met José Luis Calva Zepeda. It was not long before they began dating. In the early morning of October 5, 2007, Alejandra left for work as usual. However, Soledad grew concerned when her daughter failed to arrive for work.
When Soledad called Alejandra multiple times but received no response, the mother alerted the authorities. Officials tracked the 30-year-old’s last known location to an apartment at 198 Mosqueta Street in Colonia Guerrero, on October 8. Upon inspection, they found partial remains of Alejandra inside the bedroom closet with a pool of blood outside it and pieces of human tissue cooked in a frying pan. Moreover, forensic experts found a human leg stored inside the refrigerator. They also found some fragments of human bones inside a cereal box. The autopsy determined that Alejandra was beaten, and her cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation. Additionally, the medical examiner didn’t rule out cranial trauma and a fractured skull as contributing factors to her death.
Officials Identified a Suspect After Finding Alejandra’s Remains in His Apartment
During the initial missing persons investigation, Soledad informed the officials that Alejandra had recently broken up with her boyfriend, José. According to investigative reports, she revealed that he had asked the 30-year-old to have dinner with him for the last time, to which the mother of two had agreed before disappearing. Meanwhile, Alejandra’s lawyer friend, Daniel Zarco, tracked down José at his apartment at 198 Mosqueta Street. According to the friend’s interview on the show, he had learned from a nearby shopkeeper that the 30-year-old had been seen near the apartment the week she went missing.
Daniel further stated on the show that when the officials arrived to check José’s apartment on October 8, 2007, José closed the door from inside and then tried to flee by jumping out of his window. Following the fall, José sustained a head injury and was rushed to Xoco Hospital, where he received the necessary treatment. According to official records, during his initial statement, he admitted to dismembering Alejandra’s remains, placing the limb in the refrigerator, and cooking a portion of the remains. However, he denied consuming it and insisted that he had cooked the flesh to feed it to the dogs.
The Primary Suspect in Alejandra’s Murder Died in Prison in 2007
Upon further search of José’s apartment, investigators discovered an unfinished manuscript titled ‘Cannibalistic Instincts or 12 Days’ (Instintos Caníbales o 12 días). Reports state that authorities developed a theory that he might have consumed the flesh after cooking it, but the theory was not substantiated by evidence. A few days after he was admitted to the hospital, he was transferred to the Reclusorio Oriente Prison, or Reclusorio Preventivo Varonil Oriente, in Mexico City. José was ultimately charged with aggravated homicide and desecration of a corpse based on the forensic evidence collected from his apartment.
An official on the show stated that José later changed his statements and claimed that he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol on October 5 when Alejandra arrived at his home upset. He went on to claim that he restrained her from behind a little too tightly and accidentally killed her. As the investigation continued, officials suspected that he might have been linked to the 2004 murder of his former girlfriend, Verónica Consuelo Martínez Casarrubia, and worked with an alleged accomplice, Juan Carlos Monroy Pérez.
José was set to appear for trial, but he died inside his cell at the Reclusorio Oriente prison around 6:50 am on December 11, 2007. Reports state that authorities determined that he had died by suicide after finding him hanging with a belt around his neck. It is essential to note that he was never convicted of any of the homicides, and Juan was never proven to be his accomplice. Unfortunately, José’s unexpected death never provided a final judicial resolution in Alejandra’s murder case.
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