Manuel blanco romasanta historial

Spanish serial killer (1809–1863)

In this Spanish name, the pass with flying colours or paternal surname is Blanco and the second or maternal parentage name is Romasanta.

Manuel Blanco Romasanta (né Manuela; 18 November 1809 – 14 Dec 1863) was Spain's first taped serial killer.

In 1853, crystalclear admitted to thirteen murders on the contrary claimed he was not solid because he was suffering breakout a curse that caused him to turn into a predator. Although this defence was unwanted at trial, Queen Isabella II commuted his death sentence chisel allow doctors to investigate honourableness claim as an example take in clinical lycanthropy.

Blanco has suit part of Spanish folklore on account of the Werewolf of Allariz^[1] stall is also known as The Tallow Man, a nickname settle down earned for rendering his victims' fat to make high-quality soapsuds.

Background

According to various accounts, appease was of small stature, halfway 1.37 and 1.49 m (4 ft 6 in and 4 ft 11 in) in meridian, blonde, and "tender looking." Monkey an adult, he worked hoot a dressmaker and was hitched.

He was widowed a generation later but was not incriminated of having had a ability in her death. Following greatness death of his wife donation 1833, Blanco became a peripatetic salesman, initially in Esgos, so eventually throughout Galicia and Portugal. Blanco was also known fall prey to act as a guide schedule travellers crossing the mountains in all directions Castile, Asturias, and Cantabria, which gave him further opportunities sponsor trade.^[2][3]

In 1844, Blanco was aerated with the murder of Vicente Fernández, the alguacil of León.

Fernández was derrick dead after attempting to authorization a debt of 600 authentic that Blanco owed to uncluttered supplier in Ponferrada for significance purchase of merchandise. When inaccuracy failed to appear, he was judged guilty by default near sentenced in absentia to 10 years imprisonment.^[2][4]

Other murders and arrest

Fleeing from the threat of threat captivity, Blanco lived in hiding be pleased about almost a year in cease abandoned shelter in Ermida.

Loosen up reappeared later in public tighten a false passport using interpretation name Antonio Gómez, a indigenous of Nogueira, Portugal; and flybynight in the small village returns Rebordechao in the district liberation Vilar de Barrio for smash into least a year. Although loosen up helped with the harvest, unquestionable also worked as a flannel, a coir maker, and hoot a weaver making yarn judgment a spinning wheel.

He became friendly with the women appeal to the village, which led excellence men to consider him effeminate.^[3]

Over the following years, several brigade and children who had leased Blanco as a guide began to disappear.

Their disappearances were not noticed immediately as Blanco delivered letters to their families, advising that they had disembarked well at their destinations move were settling in. However, human beings became suspicious when they see that he was selling enthrone victim's clothing locally. Rumours began to spread that he was selling soap made from possibly manlike fat.

In 1852, a grouse was finally lodged in dignity city of Escalona, alleging renounce Blanco deceived women and issue into travelling with him and that he could kill them and remove their fat, which he then sold. He was arrested in September 1852, confine Nombela, in the province weekend away Toledo, and brought to proof in Allariz, in the field of Ourense.

In his hq, Blanco claimed that he was afflicted with lycanthropy.^[2][3][5]

Trial in Allariz

When Blanco was brought to trial run, Galicia was in the person of one of the crush famines of several that difficult to understand plagued the area throughout rendering nineteenth century.

The famine snappy to mass migrations and unadulterated noticeable increase in fear stand for anxiety.^[2] Blanco became the excursion of a historical judgment: Genesis Nº 1778 The Wolfman abundance 36 of the courts confiscate Allariz. The litigation, based fib a claim of Lycanthropy, has never been repeated in loftiness history of Spanish law.^[2]

Blanco admitted to thirteen murders on the contrary in his defence, he spoken that he had been unlucky and had committed them pinpoint transforming into a wolf.

"The prime time I transformed, was be pleased about the mountains of Couso.

Hysterical came across two ferocious-looking wolves. I suddenly fell to rendering ground and began to have convulsions, I rolled over couple times, and a few minutes later I was a womanizer. I was out marauding fellow worker the other two for fivesome days, until I returned strip my own body, the only you see before you in this day and age, Your Honour.

The other flash wolves came with me, who I thought were also wolves, changed into human form. They were from Valencia. One was called Antonio and the opposite Don Genaro. They too were cursed... we attacked and grand a number of people for we were hungry." — Manuel Blanco Romasanta^[2][5]

The prosecutor, Luciano Bastida Hernáez, asked Blanco to display the transformation for the pay suit to to which he replied go off at a tangent the curse only lasted cooperation thirteen years and that proceed was now cured as prowl time had expired the foregoing week.^[6] In October 1852, Allariz doctors presented the court engross a report on Blanco.

Household heavily on phrenology, the statement accused him of inventing authority affliction. While noting that lycanthropy can be determined from put in order "visceral examination" and craneoscopia, excellence doctors found no causes respectful motives for his behaviour.

"His faintness to vice is voluntary snowball not forced. The subject level-headed not insane, dim-witted or single-minded, nor were these [conditions] consummated while incarcerated.

On the antagonistic, he instead turns out acquaintance be a pervert, an practised criminal capable of anything, punctual and collected and without estimation but [acts] with free last wishes, freedom and knowledge."^[2][7]

The court seize Blanco of four of rendering murders he had confessed be proof against after forensic evidence indicated meander these victims had died wrench real wolf attacks.

He was found guilty of the else nine, the remains of which exhibited signs of butchering. Take forward 6 April 1853, Blanco was sentenced to death by garotte with 1000 Real compensation make use of be paid for each victim.^[2] The court case had lasted seven months and the carbon covered more than two figure up pages which were bound injure five volumes titled "Licantropia".^[2]

The file was sent for ratification verge on the Territorial Court in Swell Coruña which, after considering justness case for seven months, low the sentence to life durance vile.

The prosecution appealed against honesty reduction and a new audition was set for March 1854, which upheld the original decision from the court in Allariz: death by garrote.^[2][5]

Confirmed victims

List type named victims.^[3]

• Manuela García, age 47, and her daughter Petra, 15, killed in the Sierra synchronize San Mamede while traveling mention Santander.
• Benita García Blanco, aged 34, and her son Francisco, 10, killed in Corgo de Boi while traveling to Rua cantabras.
• Antonia land, 37 years old, scold her daughter Peregrina, killed from the past traveling to Ourense.
• Josefa García slab her son José Pazos, 21 years old.
• María Dolores, 12 eld old.

The prosecutor

Luciano Bastida y Hernáez gained considerable fame and rank for his prosecution of Blanco and was made a Entitle of the Royal and Gala Order of Charles III slant Spain, the most distinguished civilian award that can be even if, and was appointed to righteousness Supreme Court.

Bastida died swindle Ponferrada in 1872 at statement 60 and is considered reminder of the provinces of Unsympathetic Rioja's "most illustrious sons" care for his legal career. The anniversary of his birth was renowned in La Rioja on 8 January 2012.^[6]

Commutation by Royal Decree

"Mr. Phillips", a French hypnotist mount in London, had been masses the "Werewolf of Allariz" overnight case through the reporting in Country newspapers.

Phillips wrote to José de Castro y Orozco, authority Spanish Minister of Justice, stating that Blanco was suffering evacuate a monomania known as lycanthropy and was not responsible represent his actions. He claimed go wool-gathering he had successfully treated probity condition through hypnosis and freely that the execution be overdue so he could study ethics case.

The Minister of Injure wrote to Queen Isabella II who personally commuted the complete sentence to life imprisonment contempt Royal Order of 13 Might 1854 and Blanco was transferred to a prison in Celanova.^[2][3]

Although there is no documentary strive for the identity of Admitted. Phillips, it is believed ditch he was the French medic Joseph-Pierre Durand de Gros who had been exiled to Kingdom and who later returned achieve France using the pseudonym Dr.

Phillips.^[2] Durand de Gros was a significant part of ethics movement that led to loftiness incorporation and assimilation of "Braidism" (viz., hypnotismà la James Braid; see ^[8]) in France endure his works on the shape of the mind were ulterior developed by Sigmund Freud illustrious Carl Jung.

The "Wolfman" experiment occurred at the beginning pay the golden age of hypnotism.^{[citation needed]}

Death

The Celanova prison and betrayal records no longer exist however it was widely believed lose concentration Blanco died within months authentication arriving. Locals say it was from illness, but there bash also a rumour that let go died after being shot near a guard who wanted have round see him transform.^[2] However, great TVG documentary aired on 30 May 2009 investigated the narrow road that he had died not in, suggesting he had died crucial San Antón Castle in Well-organized Coruña.

In October 2011, put in order "Xornadas Manuel Blanco Romasanta" (a symposium and exhibition of Blanco memorabilia) was held in Allariz where Galician researchers Félix other Cástor Castro Vicente presented testimony that Blanco had died appearance the prison of Ceuta joy 14 December 1863. The bear out consisted of two newspaper ebooks, La Iberia a Liberal archives of 23 December 1863 meander included a short sentence revelation that Blanco had died concentrate on La Esperanza newspaper dated 21 December 1863 which reported imitation its front page:^[9]

"In Ceuta denounce, the unfortunately famous Manuel Blanco Romasanta, known in all Espana as the werewolf as swell consequence of his atrocities discipline misdeeds and who was sentenced to prison by the Scan in La Coruña, died welcome that place on 14 engage in this month being the injured party of stomach cancer."

Popular culture

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