César Román Viruete became one of the most sought-after and mentioned characters on Spanish television in recent years. Known as ‘The King of Cachopo’, his life was completely turned upside down after the death of his partner Heidi Paz, 25 years old. Despite denying everything when he was sentenced to 15 years in prison, in mid-April he would confess his guilt in a letter broadcast by the media.
Just hours before the premiere of the true crime series on Netflix about this case, many other characters and actors in what happened have returned to the surface in recent weeks, as has happened with The Asunta case. One of the most mentioned has been the person responsible for the criminal’s employment, Raquel Contreras. The owner of the restaurant where Viruete worked at the time of his arrest was the first to report him.
It is in the Delicias neighborhood in Zaragoza, at number 57 Italia Street, where the Gerardo restaurant run by Contreras is located. For two months she hired César Román, before reporters from a multitude of channels gathered at the doors of the premises on November 16, 2018. She herself assured that they needed a cook and that, through someone else, she showed up. in the name of Rafael Rujano Contreras, alias ‘Txiki’.
“He said that he would stay for a couple of days on a trial basis and that if we were interested he would stay and if not, then we had tried it and that was it. We registered him with Social Security under the name of this person, I don’t know who he is. Today when I watched television I was very surprised because I knew it was him. Normally I don’t turn on the television, I don’t watch it at all. Before I saw her a lot, but now with work I don’t see her at all,” he explained to the press that day.
“I realized while watching Ana Rosa one day that they were talking about the testimony of a scammer and possible murderer of his girlfriend. I approached and said, well, this is the cook I have. My husband said that he wasn’t the one and I said: I’m going to call the police, if it’s not him I’d rather be wrong, I apologize and that’s it,” she said during the second week of the trial. In the years to come, Contreras has continued to be in charge of Gerardo and has never forgiven Viruete.
“The King of Cachopo is a liar and I hope they sentence him to the greatest possible punishment,” Contreras expressed during an interview with Heraldo de Aragón in 2021. His words have resurfaced in recent days, waiting for That tomorrow Netflix will share Heidi Paz’s crime series on its platform.
