The father's katana: how a teenager killed his family

The father's katana: how a teenager killed his family: The triple homicide of José Rabadán Pardo in Murcia, Spain.

A 71-centimeter katana, gifted as a reward for improving school grades. A 16-year-old, described as polite and cordial, executed his parents and 9-year-old sister in the early hours of March 31, 2000, with over 80 cuts of extreme brutality. The impossible question: how did the model son become a killer in a matter of hours?

In this episode, we explore the contradictions that tore the case apart: the collection of knives and books on satanism hidden in his room, the two phone calls he attempted to make to have the crime discovered, and the autopsy that revealed selective amputations. We investigate whether he is truly rehabilitated or if his confession without resistance hides a more disturbing truth about dissociation and lack of empathy.

Victim: Rafael, Mercedes, and María Rabadán
Date: March 31, 2000
Location: Murcia, Spain
Status: Convicted, completed probation (2008)

- More than 80 total cuts on three bodies; the father with 3 fingers amputated and a lethal wound to the neck
- José called the police on April 1 with the exact address to have the crime discovered
- First serious case judged under the Spanish Minor Law; sentenced to only 6 years of confinement
- 2017 documentary where José states "it wasn't me, it was my body," denying emotional responsibility

José Rabadán Pardo, Murcia katana murder, 2000, teenage killer, forensic investigation, brutality, true crime, criminal minds, psychological dissociation, Spanish justice, Spanish true crime

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