Juan Roa Sierra - Other Versions of The Story

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, 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 painter. Roa then began to suffer from Schizophrenia and was interned in a clinic in Sibaté.

According to a Scotland Yard report dated July 20, 1948 Roa said he was one of 14 children of the same mother, and that his father had died. 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 have 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.