Cooking Up Murder: Uncovering the Story of César Román (El Rey del Cachopo) is a Spanish true-crime documentary series, investigating a mysterious murder case involving a famous chef. It is directed by Román Parrado and executive produced by Charlie Arnaiz and Alberto Ortega. There are three episodes in this limited series with a runtime of about 46-51 minutes.
The documentary features journalists and investigators including Raquel Gutierrez, Leo Alvarez, Juan Luis Galiacho, Manuel Diaz, Sito Gonzalez, Gloria Francis Bulnes, Irma Frigenti, Pilar Santiago, Raquel Contreras, Gustavo Càmara, Teresa Bueyes, Miguel Mendez, Jose Luis, Juan Miguel Morano, Manuel Ferrezuelo, Luis Duque, Ana Isabel Peña, Alexis Socias, Josep Anglada and others.
This documentary series delves into a murder case involving a prominent Spanish chef, who achieved fame through a tangled web of secrets and deceptive personas.
-This Article Contains Spoilers-
Cooking Up Murder: Uncovering the Story of César Román Review
On August 13, 2018, the firefighter department had to put out a small fire in a warehouse unit on Sebastián Gómez Street in Madrid. While investigating, they came across a suitcase under the stairs, hidden behind the elevator shaft. What they found in that suitcase, spiralled into a complicated case that still remains a big mystery. Inside it, a decapitated and amputated torso of a female was found, along with a bottle of sodium hydroxide, a knife, a heart-shaped pendant and breast implants thrown nearby in the trashcan.
With no head or clue about the torso’s identity, the police looked up the owner of the unit, which was revealed to be rented to a restaurant company owned by César Román. Also known as ‘The King of Cachopo’, the nickname which he got after winning the best cachopo competition and opening various franchises, selling the same. Digging up more about his life, the police found out that he had been in a relationship with a waitress at his restaurant, Heidi Paz. With both Heidi and César not being able to be contacted by the police, it was hypothesised that the body could have belonged to Heidi.
Also, the knife found with the suitcase was exactly the same one used at César’s restaurant, raising suspicions. The police were able to confirm the identity of the torso by conducting a DNA test on Heidi’s mother, Gloria Francis Bulnes. Once the DNA came out as a match, César Román inevitably became a suspect on the run, since he was nowhere to be found. However, he was arrested two months later after being discovered in a restaurant in Zaragoza, where he worked under a false identity and drastically changed his appearance.
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Yet his arrest didn’t reveal any leads or information about the reason behind the murder, where Heidi’s other body parts could be etc. Instead, the case turned into a media circus with César being the master of spinning tales and endless lies. Throughout his trial, he claimed that the body didn’t belong to Heidi Paz and presented a side of hers that apparently, nobody else was aware of. He stated that she was involved in drug trafficking and had taken part in a cocaine robbery, a few days before her death.
César revealed the reason behind his disappearance was because of Heidi. She apparently messed with the wrong criminals in the alleged robbery and the goons were threatening César over it. Therefore, he decided to lay low, to save his life since the goons had local police officers on their side. Implying that either the goons killed her or Heidi is alive and trying to frame her for something he didn’t do. He tried his best to rebuttal any kind of evidence linking him, like his fingerprint on the sodium hydroxide bottle. He behaved more like the defendant’s lawyer than the actual one.
But with notorious popularity, César Román previously committed multiple deceptions soon came to light. In the 90s, he was part of the Spanish Falange and infiltrated the left-wing union to obtain first-hand information. This is combined with the creation of his magazine Ahora Málaga, where he faked interviews with political leaders. A company that ended up bankrupt and left its workers unpaid. Revealing a life full of scams and deceptions. Which could have also given him the confidence to lie about the murder through his teeth.
Even his title of ‘The King of Cachopo’ was seemingly a lie, believing that he received the prize by bribing. And despite building up a franchise empire on his speciality, the hotelier’s lack of quality ended up coming to light, which is why it also ended up bankrupt. Eventually, in 2021, César Román was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the murder of Heidi Paz. However, the whereabouts of her other body parts remain a mystery along with the gaps in the case.
Takeaways from Cooking Up Murder: Uncovering the Story of César Román
Conflicting Account on Heidi Paz’s Personality
While Heidi’s mother paints a picture of a hardworking daughter, working many jobs to support her two kids back in Honduras. Her own revelation of how Heidi asked her mother for money for breast implants, makes you question if Gloria is telling the complete truth. Considering that they had to get a loan to get the implant surgery, shows that Heidi wasn’t as innocent as the media painted her. Surely, she is a victim who met with a tragic fate but taking both Gloria and César’s perspectives of Heidi – presents you an opportunistic person looking to make money fast.
From a normal person’s point of view, if you are already struggling to make money in a foreign country then getting a breast implant shouldn’t be your top priority. Unless you are involved in other side quests, where it could be a beneficial feature to rack in good money. It’s possible that she could be involved in the drug business, not alone but with César. Also, how she went back and forth to her ex-lovers despite them being abusive doesn’t make sense, unless she was gaining something in return as well. It can be presumed that she had several chances to get away from César yet stayed.
It’s doubtful to believe it was ‘love’ since she conveniently went back to her abusive ex, whenever she wanted, even while being with César. Regardless of the kind of person she was, what happened to her wasn’t something that she or anyone deserves. César would obviously spin any story to malign her and save himself and sadly, there’s no way to find out what really went down between them.
Was the Documentary Released Too Soon?
Just a month before the documentary’s release, it was reported in April 2024 that César Román had admitted to murdering Heidi Paz in a letter, sent to the Provincial Court of Madrid. He claimed to have reached this request for forgiveness through “prayer and the encounter with Jesus Christ.” This could mean that the family of the victim and re-open the case to get all the answers that are a mystery. While it may take months or even years, with this new development, the documentary seems unfinished.
On the other hand, it is also believed that the letter was a strategic move to get out of prison soon. Since the admission of guilt often leads to the shortening of sentences or other privileges, allowing to get out on parole. If anything, the documentary makes it clear that César Román is an intelligent person, capable of many things, if only he used them for his own good.
Cooking Up Murder: Uncovering the Story of César Román is available to watch on Netflix.
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