“… when he finished, he raised his head and said to his colleagues, with absolute conviction: ‘This guy has murdered Denise…”
Denise finds herself in a complex situation in her life that leads her to embark on the journey, and we follow her stage by stage until her disappearance. Her companions and the friends she encounters along the way become witnesses, and what should have been a transition to a new life turns into its end. From the very beginning, there is a clear suspect, Miguel Ángel Muñoz. Following him, we see an incredibly complex personality, a man whose neighbours claim to have caught him spying on women in the village as they sunbathe by the river, staring at them lecherously on the street, often seen bothering pilgrims, even diverting the path to his house and constructing observation posts with branches like those used by hunters. A manipulative, violent, and misogynistic mind that, before the murder, had been linked to two violent attacks against women, for which he could not be charged due to lack of evidence. He feels threatened. For a woman determined to put him in jail, Inspector Patricia has no doubt about his guilt, and the killer dreams that she will be his next victim.
On April 20, 2015, Denise’s brother, Cedric, travels to Madrid to report her disappearance, already classified as serious. The cultural and language difference adds conflict to the character, anAmerican in León. The media quickly got involved, along with a letter to then Prime MinisterMariano Rajoy from Senator John McCain: “I know this may offend some sensitivities in your country, consider the help of the FBI.” The town of Castrillo de Polvaza now was the center of Spain.Scared, Miguel Ángel Muñoz files a report with the police, claiming he was being spied on with geothermal cameras, and helicopters were flying over his house. On September 4, Miguel Ángel disappears, and after a long week of searching, he is arrested surrounded by pilgrims in Asturias.Without any pressure, he reveals he knows where Denise’s body is but claims he didn’t kill her.With the arrest, a psychological game unfolds between the inspector and the killer, culminating in the emotional destruction of Miguel Ángel, who eventually confesses.
RELEVANT DATA: Pablo Muñoz, an award-winning journalist from ABC for his outstanding investigative work, reveals the dark details of the strange murder case of the American Denise Pikka on theCamino de Santiago. It not only captured the public and media’s attention but would mark the history of the Camino forever, even reaching proportions threatening to become a state matter.
This trail has transformed into a cultural emblem, creating a natural atmosphere of diversity and attracting individuals facing particularly challenging situations. Each pilgrim hides a story, and this particular one managed to keep all of Spain glued to the television. The truly captivating aspect of this story is the number of people involved; the crime is just the beginning of a series of entanglements, moments of tension, and conflicts stemming from the disappearance. The location holds great significance in the story, as it is a rural narrative highlighting its villages, inhabitants, and family environment. This context marks a clear difference from a conventional police investigation in an office. Writer Pablo Muñoz allows us to enter the police station and be part of their informal conversations, discussions, jokes, and various details that prove again that this story indeed happened.
The story follows three different timelines, from Denise’s perspective, a narrator telling MiguelÁngel Muñoz’s perspective, and Inspector Patricia’s perspective. The three stories are told fluidly at the same time, and the recreation of events becomes coherent, creating tension when presented this way. Moreover, each character is peculiar in their own way and has significant potential for fictional development, making their individual perspectives on the crime and their contribution to the overall story interesting.
AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Film, TV Movie.
AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish.
