José Sáez’s Murder of Remo

Remo’s murder is reconstructed as a killing by José Sáez García, known in the asylum as the Elephant Man. Its significance lies not only in the violence of the death but in the method: Alice Gould recognizes that the same distinctive injuries connect Remo’s killing to the murder of Severiano García del Olmo, turning an earlier asylum death into a clue in her investigation.

Circumstances and Motive

Alice reaches her conclusion while examining a patient file in the commissioner’s office. The file identifies José Sáez García as having been committed to the hospital forty years earlier at the request of his uncle, Severiano García del Olmo. Alice interprets José’s violence as revenge: he resented the uncle who had him institutionalized and also hated his cousin, whom he regarded as the clever one. In her reconstruction, Remo’s murder belongs to this pattern of grievance rather than appearing as an isolated act.

Method and the Investigative Link

José killed Remo by jumping on him, crushing his chest and rupturing his internal organs. Alice compares those injuries with the condition of Severiano’s body and recognizes the same method. The resemblance supplies the crucial link between the two deaths: the uncle was not killed with a sandbag, as Alice had previously believed, but in the manner of Remo.

Consequences and Significance

The comparison transforms the murder into evidence against a suspect already connected to Severiano through the circumstances of his admission. José had been allowed to leave the hospital for three days after its open regime began; the second day coincided with his uncle’s murder. Alice also cites a more recent killing of a young patient with an intellectual disability as evidence of continuing violence. Together, the repeated method, the family grievance and the timing of the authorized absence make Remo’s death central to her case against José.