The Truly Horrific Crime Scene Of Cannibal Victim Alejandra Galeana
The following article includes descriptions of cannibalism.
It's probably hard to imagine a murder scene that isn't gruesome. The very idea that a person has intentionally taken the life of another will almost always have overtones of violence, even if the crime itself is void of blood and gore. But some killings yield so much gore that even the most hardened investigators will never forget them. One such murder took place in Mexico City in 2007, involving a man who would become known as the "Cannibal Poet."
Jose Luis Calva Zepeda was raised by a domineering and abusive mother (per Newsweek). During one such instance of abuse, he was struck in the head with a toy that his mother had purchased for him as punishment for seeing holiday gifts before she was finished setting them out. When he scrounged money to get a replacement toy, he was beaten again and watched as his mother destroyed his new toy. As a young man, Zepeda had a string of relationships with women that would end due to his violence and mental abuse. As he grew older, he began to struggle with depression. His remedy for this was to self-medicate with alcohol and illicit drugs.
in 2007, Zepeda met Alejandra Galeana, 32, a single mom of two who worked at a pharmacy. They began dating, but she soon began to break away from him after becoming intolerant of his controlling behavior. Newsweek reported that Galeana had secured a transfer from the pharmacy near Zepeda's home to one in her family's neighborhood. In the days before she was reported missing, Zepeda called her numerous times and threatened suicide if she left him.
It's suspected he seasoned her meat with lemon
When Galeana failed to show up to work her shift at the pharmacy one day, the police began to search for her. When they questioned her mother, the woman was quick to lay blame on Zepeda, whom she knew had been giving her daughter trouble (per Newsweek). She stated to the press "I figured that maybe he had her tied up somewhere under the influence of some drug to stop her from going out."
Police arrived at Zepeda's apartment and were let inside by the suspect. During their search, an officer opened up a closet door and found the body of Galeana. Well, most of it. Her right forearm had been hacked away and half of her right leg was missing. Those limbs were found later when the police searched the kitchen, tucked away in the refrigerator, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
A deeper search of the home would uncover more human remains in the most unlikely of places; inside a box of cereal. Investigators opened it and discovered that a bone still covered in muscle tissue had been hidden inside it. It had been deep-fried.
Police also found a plate with human meat on the dining room table. It appeared as though Zepeda had just prepared a meal from his victim's remains, for there was also a frying pan on the stove with bits of meat and fat that had recently been cooked. A freshly squeezed lemon was close by, hinting that Zepeda had used the fruit to flavor her flesh.
Zepeda might be responsible for other murders
Zepeda was arrested for murder and admitted that he had strangled Galeana to death. He insisted that this was an accident, however (via Newsweek). The frustrated poet would also deny that he ever ate any part of her body, and was cutting it up so that he could dispose of it bit by bit by feeding it to stray dogs in the neighborhood.
One chilling discovery made by police was a novel Zepeda was working on that was found inside his home. "Cannibal Instincts" had a cover with the likeness of "Silence of the Lambs" character Hannibal Lecter on it but altered to resemble Zepeda. Also in his apartment were video copies of the film, along with its sequel "Hannibal," and "Cannibal Blood."
Zepeda is suspected in several other murders, including one ex-girlfriend and a sex worker. But Zepeda never faced trial for those killings. When taken to court for the murder of Galeana, he would not enter a plea of any kind. He was sent to a prison cell where his lifeless body would be found scarcely two months after his arrest. On December 11, 2007, Zepeda was found hanging in his cell by the neck (per Banderas News). His death was not believed to be a suicide, though. Investigators discovered that Zepeda had been brutally beaten and sexually assaulted just before the other inmates strangled him.