Who is César Román? The real story behind ‘The Cachopo King’ in the Netflix true crime series

During the past few years we have seen a growth in the number of true crimes series hitting the screens - documentaries which delve into some of the most disturbing cases of recent years - truly horrendous crimes such as the Asunta case or the Netflix series Burning Body which looked at the love triangle which culminated in the murder of Barcelona municipal policeman Pedro Rodríguez by Rosa Peral and work colleague Albert López. Whether you agree with them or not, there appears to be a morbid fascination for these murder cases - the latest to premiere, looks at the infamous ‘King Cachopo’ case which will air Friday.

César Román was already known to Spanish authorities for his allegiance to several far right political parties and committed countless acts of fraud, many of which came to light after his arrest. The entrepreneur had been a member of the extreme right Falange political party in the 1990s and used his affiliation to infiltrate the syndicate and gain sensitive information. He was also behind the creation of ‘Ahora Málaga’ (Málaga Now) - a magazine which published numerous interviews with political figures - all of them completely fabricated, false stories, figments of his vivid imagination. Unsurprisingly, the company went bust and Román vanished into thin air, leaving his employees without their due wages.

His next venture fared much better - so much so, that he gained notoriety, and a nickname, the ‘The Cachopo King’. He opened a restaurant in central Madrid, specialized in cuisine from northern Spain, more specifically Asturias - his signature dish was the Cachopo, which soon became popular with customers and the word got around. He persuaded investors to plough money into his restaurant, selling them a tale about expanding his business to set up a chain of outlets. But soon his restaurants suffered a drop in footfall when customers realized he was sourcing cheap meat and ingredients.

Once again, ‘The Cachopo King’ simply disappeared, withdrawing 100,000 euros from his bank account and leaving his creditors high and dry.

The murder of Heydi Paz

Román was believed to be in a relationship with Heydi Paz Bulnes, a 25-year-old Honduran woman - 20 years younger than him, since April 2018. He hired her to become part of his bar staff at one of his restaurants. But by the summer, the relationship was over. Heydi had found someone else and told Román that he no longer wanted to see him. At the same time, more problems starting piling up for ‘The Cachopo King’ - he could no longer meet payments to his creditors and in July, he was forced to pull down the shutters of his four establishments.

On 23 July 2018, Heydi was reported missing by her mother. Human remains, a headless torso was discovered stuffed into a partially burned suitcase on 13 August in an industrial warehouse, owned by Román in the Usera district of Madrid. The body had been dismembered, a section of skin removed, limbs, breasts and head cut off. The body was identified as Heydi’s months later after extensive DNA tests.

César Román was arrested on 16 November. He had been working in a restaurant in Zaragoza under an alias. He had changed his physical appearance - shaved his head and grown a beard and also lied to his employers, telling them he was a Venezuelan chef named Rafael Rujano Contreras. In 2021, Román was sentenced to 15 years in prison charged with the murder and decapitation of Heydi Paz.

Until recently, Román has denied killing Heydi. In April 2024, he wrote a letter to the media confessing his part in the crime and asking Heydi’s family for forgiveness.

Román Parrado, who directed the three-part mini-series which airs Friday, explained that ‘The Cachopo King’ was a fantasist, a snake charmer who craved being the center of attention. “The documentary series tries to put the peacock center stage, with all of its feathers glimmering until one by one, they are removed and we see the real César Román and what really happened in this case”.

What is a Cachopo?

A Cachopo is a hearty Asturian specialty which consists of a large, finely sliced filet of beef, topped with cured ham and cheese which is coated in breadcrumbs, fried and then served topped with a red pepper and fries. High in calories, it’s cut into slices and will feed several people. It’s a relatively new phenomenon - the dish was practically unknown until recently, growing in popularity in many Asturian bars and restaurants.

Directed by Román Parrado and written by Noemí Redondo and Isabel Paniagua, the three-part docuseries Cooking Up Murder: Uncovering the Story of César Román airs on Netflix from Friday 24 May.

The series is split into three 50-minute episodes: Like a King, The King’s Speech and The Dethroned King.