Suvechha Sarkar
In April 2004, Verónica Consuelo Martínez Casarrubia went missing when she left home to buy medicine. Unfortunately, her remains were found in Chimalhuacán in the State of Mexico. The investigation into the case stalled for a few years before things changed in 2007, when her acquaintance, Juan Carlos Monroy Pérez, was linked to the crime. HBO Max’s ‘Cannibal Poet’ delves deeper into the details of the homicide and how her then-boyfriend, José Luis Calva Zepeda, was also considered a suspect. It also features a detailed interview with her mother and officials who helped bring the truth to light.
Juan Carlos Monroy Pérez Met Verónica Casarrubia While Working at a Pharmacy
From a young age, Juan Carlos Monroy Pérez had maintained a good relationship with his sister, Patricia Monroy. The public records provide very little information about his early life. However, it is known that he began working at a pharmacy store of the chain, Similares. According to Juan’s interview on the show, he was later moved to the pharmacy’s branch in Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico. There, he crossed paths with Verónica Consuelo Martínez Casarrubia, a mother of three children who had recently divorced.
As per the statements of her mother, Judith Casarrubias Reynoso, it was not long before Verónica became friends with Juan. During Juan’s interview on the show, he claimed he met a customer named José Luis Calva Zepeda while working at the pharmacy’s previous branch. In his statements, he went on to say that he properly spoke to José when he got into the latter’s taxi. Investigative reports allege that Juan eventually introduced Verónica to his new friend.
It wasn’t long before Verónica and José entered a relationship. According to Judith, the relationship gradually became abusive, forcing her daughter to move in with a former boyfriend on April 6, 2004. Unfortunately, Verónica went missing on April 24, and her dismembered remains were discovered on April 30 near the San Agustín cemetery in Chimalhuacán, State of Mexico. According to official records, when questioned, Judith expressed her suspicions about Juan and José.
Juan Carlos Monroy Pérez Was Arrested Based on His Conflicting Statements
When Juan was questioned, he insisted that he had only introduced Verónica to José and was unaware of her whereabouts thereafter. Due to a lack of concrete evidence and viable leads, the investigation gradually stalled. A breakthrough arrived in October 2007 when José was arrested and charged with the murder of another 30-year-old woman, Alejandra Galeana Garavito, after her remains were found in his apartment. Following that, Judith reportedly contacted the authorities once again, maintaining that both men were responsible for her daughter’s death. As investigators dug deeper, they developed the theory that Juan was an accomplice of José in Verónica’s murder, as per reports.
However, it is essential to note that José was never convicted in any of the homicide cases, and the evidence didn’t prove that Juan was his accomplice. It soon came to light that Verónica had submitted a letter to the prosecutor’s office in March 2004, accusing Juan of stealing 50,000 pesos from her. Ultimately, Juan was declared a suspect in Verónica’s case. After an extensive search for him, authorities took him into custody on October 19, 2007. Following that, Juan was held under a 30-day investigative detention order (arraigo) at the Villarreal Hotel in Nezahualcóyotl while officials built their case. However, it was later extended to almost 60 days. Investigative records suggest that Juan provided the authorities with multiple statements.
In his changed statements, Juan claimed that when he visited José’s house on April 28, 2004, he noticed Verónica still alive on the bed. Juan alleged that he then saw José strangle her before dismembering her remains in the living room. He went on to say that he helped the alleged killer transport Verónica’s remains near the cemetery. According to official reports, Juan also claimed he had been in a romantic relationship with José, but the latter had denied it. When José was interrogated, he insisted that he didn’t have any involvement in Verónica’s murder, contradicting Juan’s accounts. On December 19, 2007, the court formally charged Juan with aggravated homicide of Verónica.
Juan Carlos Monroy Pérez is Likely Incarcerated at a Prison in the State of Mexico Today
After Juan was formally charged, a judge considered whether the evidence against him was sufficient to continue the criminal proceedings. He ultimately ruled that there was enough evidence to move forward. The prosecution highlighted that Juan was connected to both Verónica and José and focused on his statement that he had helped in the transportation of her remains. The records also included his claim that Verónica’s partner had threatened to harm Juan’s mother and sister if he refused to help. On the show, Juan confirmed that he eventually underwent a trial for the homicide of Veronica. By the end of it, the judge found him guilty of aggravated homicide with premeditation and advantage.
Juan was later sentenced, but the exact prison term remains unclear. It is worth noting that currently available reports do not indicate further details about the trial and sentencing. During his recent interview on the show, Juan alleged that the statement in which he admitted to transporting the remains of Verónica was provided to him by the prosecution, and he signed it under duress. He further claimed that he had not participated in or witnessed the homicide. As of writing, Juan appears to be serving his sentence at a prison in the State of Mexico. Moreover, it is essential to note that José has never been convicted in any of the homicide cases because he died on December 11, 2007, before undergoing trial.
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