Uncovering Mexico
Jeremy Schwartz is the Mexico correspondent for Cox Newspapers. He is based in Mexico City.What's on this page?
All the entries posted on October 16, 2007.
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Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The Cannibal Poet is a Hannibal Lecter fan
Every day, we good residents of Mexico City learn a little more about the “cannibal poet,” Jose Luis Calva Zepeda, who was arrested last week on suspicion that he dismembered and ate his former girlfriends. If guilty, Zepeda would be Mexico’s first cannibalistic serial killer, although the country has seen isolated instances of human-eating in the past.
Officials yesterday officially declared that the meat found frying in oil on his stove was indeed human flesh, suspected of belonging to his girlfriend. (Police also found a plate with human flesh seasoned with lemon.) And police gave a rundown of items discovered in his downtown apartment: The movies “Hannibal,” “Hostel 2” and “Cannibal Blood: Dark Desires.” Police also believe Zepeda was a cocaine addict, a fan of the Marquis de Sade and a practitioner of witchcraft, performing “limpias” with black candles and cow tongues.
Zepeda has admitted to killing his girlfriend, whose leg was found in his fridge and bones in a cereal box, but denied to investigators that he ate her.
Zepeda earned the other half of his nickname from his various artistic endeavors, which included selling his grisly poetry at informal Mexico City markets. Zepeda was also a frustrated screenwriter and novelist and the theme of cannibalism had a heavy presence in his works.
Officials have linked Zepeda with the dismemberments of three women and believe there may be more victims. Zepeda is in jail for 30 days while police build their case.