José Luis Calva

Infobox Serial Killer
name=José Luis Calva


caption=Berkowitz
birthname=José Luis Calva Zepeda
alias=
birth= June 20, 1969
location=Mexico City, Mexico
death=death date and age|2007|12|11|1969|6|20
cause= Suicide
victims=1 dead, probably more murdered victims
country=Mexico
states=Mexican Federal District
beginyear=
endyear=
apprehended=
penalty=

José Luis Calva Zepeda (June 20 1969cite web|url=http://www.esmas.com/noticierostelevisa/mexico/685814.html
title=Se suicida 'El Caníbal de la Guerrero'
work=Televisa
language=Spanish
accessdate=2007-12-23] – December 11 2007) was a Mexican writer and serial killer. Calva has been accused of murder in up to eight separate cases, all involving women. Calva had also confessed to cannibalism.cite web|url=http://www.la-razon.com/versiones/20071013_006058/nota_251_492920.htm
title=El "poeta caníbal" es investigado por muertes en México
work=www.la-razon.com
language=Spanish
accessdate=2007-10-16]

Biography

Calva's childhood was traumatic. His father died when he was two, and his mother used to bring men to his home whom the boy had to call "dad". When he was seven, he was raped by a 16-year-old friend of his older brother.cite web|url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/ciudad/87449.html
title=El caníbal, su autobiografía entre la violencia y el rencor
work=ElUniversal.com.mx
language=Spanish
accessdate=2007-12-23]

He met the woman who would become his wife and mother two of his children, Aide, in 1996. They divorced and she moved to the United States with their daughters. He sunk into a deep depression.

Arrest

In October 2007, forces of the Federal Preventive Police went to Calva's home to arrest him under the suspicion that he was responsible for the disappearance of his girlfriend Alejandra Galeana, who was last seen on October 6. He was found eating a dish of human meat seasoned with lemon. Calva tried to escape by jumping through the window, severely injuring himself, but was captured.cite web|url=http://www.larepublica.com.pe/content/view/182990/592/
title=Lo llaman el escritor caníbal
work=www.larepublica.com.pe
language=Spanish
accessdate=2007-10-16]

Inside his flat, the police found the mutilated body of his girlfriend, human meat in the refrigerator, a frying pan with cooked human flesh and human bones in a box of cereal. Aside from that, an unfinished book titled "Instintos Caníbales o 12 días" ("Cannibal Instincts or 12 days") and a picture of Anthony Hopkins portraying Hannibal Lecter were also found.

Calva's is the first case of cannibalism reported in Mexico for almost 500 years.

Death

In the early morning hours of December 11, 2007, the body of Calva, who apparenty had committed suicide between 6:00am and 6:30am, was found hanging by his belt from the roof of his prison cell. No suicide note was found.cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/12/11/mexico.suicide.ap/
title='Cannibal' killer commits suicide
work=CNN.com
accessdate=2007-12-23] [ [http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?id_nota=337355 Encuentran ahorcado a el "Caníbal" en su celda / 13 de Febrero de 2008 ] ]

References

Further reading

* [http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/coberturas/esp164.html Full coverage] on "El Universal"