Juan Roa Sierra
| La Violencia |
|---|
 |
| Prelude |
| Murder of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán |
| El Bogotazo |
| Political Parties |
| Liberal Party |
| Conservative Party |
| Colombian Communist Party |
| Presidents of Colombia |
| Mariano Ospina Pérez |
| Laureano Gómez |
| Gustavo Rojas Pinilla |
Juan Roa Sierra (born November 4, 1927 in
Origins
Roa was 21 years old at the time of the Gaitán assassination and his own subsequent death. He was the son of Encarnación Sierra and Rafael Roa. According to a memoir by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, His mother was a Gaitán follower, and was home preparing her grieving dress, when she heard on the radio that her son was the assassin. Gabriel Garcia Marquez's book, Vivir para contarla, expressed doubts about Roa's guilt.
Other versions of the story
According to a translation made by the United States embassy of an article published on April 16, 1948 by Colombian newspaper El Tiempo[1], Roa was 25 years old at the time of his death. He was baptized in the church of the Egipto Neighborhood in Bogotá and was the youngest of 6 brothers. He lived for some time in the Ricaurte Neighborhood also in Bogota more exactly in the address Calle 17-S No.16-52 and was working as a paintor. Roa then began to suffer from Schizophrenia[2] and was interned in a clinic in Sibaté.
According to a Scotland Yard report dated July 20, 1948 [3] Roa said he was one of 14 children of the same mother, and that his father had passed away. He said he had not married, but had had an affair with a married woman named María de Jesús Forero with whom he had had a child. Apparently the woman denied Roa's affirmations, and after a psychological chiromancy test in front of a mirror, Roa began to act as if he were the 19th century Colombian military and political figure, Francisco de Paula Santander. Apparently, Roa ended the relationship with the woman a years before the assassination. Four months later his mother noticed he had become more quite and weird. Scotland Yard affirmed he was the 13th of the 14 siblings. Scotland Yard also mentioned that Roa admired Gaitan but this admiration may had changed after a commentary made by the candidate.
In the book "Vivir para contarla" (2002) Gabriel García Márquez has some issues with the Scotland Yard report with the number of siblings and mentions that in the documents found in Roa's pocket, his address was located on Calle 8 No. 30-73 differing from that of El Tiempo newspaper.
Scotland yard report also said that Roa had illusions of being mighty, egocentric and was usually spaced out. His behavior might have changed after getting involved with the Rosicrucianism, which was introduced to him by a German named Umland Gerat 18 months before the assassination of Gaitan. Apparently Roa's mother noticed this and went to speak to Gerat about his son's issues and told him her son believed he himself was Jiménez de Quesada, the founder of Bogotá. She also mentioned that Roa was at Gaitan's office applying for a job.[4]
Days before the assassination
The last visit to Gerat occurred on April 7, two days before the assassination. Gerat declared that Roa had had a dream about a treasure in two indigenous towns not too far from Bogota and that he felt destiny was going to give him something important. Gerat suggested that he not go alone, but Roa rejected this. On this same date Roa purchased the weapon and the next day he bought the ammunition. Two witnesses said they had heard Roa say he was going to serve as bodyguard for two foreigners who were going on a trip to a desolated land.
According to the assistant of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, Cecilia de González, Roa went several times to the office two months before the assassination, but she never gave him the opportunity to see him.
The day of the assassination Roa visited the office at 9:30 AM. Gaitan had arrived a little before 8 AM even though he had been awake until late because he attended the trial of Lieutenant Jesús María Córtez Poveda, his client. The building security guard saw him with another person (later identified as César Bernal Ordóñez[5]) but Roa solicited the interview alone.
Roa was lynched and murdered by the massive mob; his body was left in front of the Presidential Palace.
References
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