Burning Body, the Netflix crime thriller based on the real-life story of Rosa Peral, made us realize how much that woman lost in her mad quest and how sorted and happy her life would have been if she had been faithful and stuck with the right kind of people. The character of Javier Guerrero aka Javi, played by Isak Ferriz in the series, is also based on the real-life person named Ruben Carbo, who was Rosa Peral’s ex-husband. Javi was the kind of person who didn’t even have a single red flag. Moreover, Rosa was very happy with him, and she knew that she could have the best life if she did not commit adultery. Life does not give everyone a second chance, and Rosa was one of those lucky people who got one. She could have done things right the second time, but her mind was a mystery to everyone, and nobody knew what was going on there or what she wanted to do.
Rosa Peral spoiled her own cause, and Javi moved on and created the life that he always deserved. In a way, we can say that it all ended well for Javi because, had he been with Rosa, considering the kind of woman she was, she would have wreaked havoc on his life. But at that point in time, when Javi realized that his partner was not faithful to him, he felt like someone had shot an arrow through his heart. He didn’t know what he had done to deserve such a thing, but he had to swallow his disappointment and deal with his heartbreak. So let’s find out what compelled Javi to come back once again with Rosa, and how Sofia’s testimony became a turning point in the murder case of Pedro Rodrigues.
Spoiler Alert
What did Javi say in his interview about Rosa?
Javi was a part of the Mossos d’Esquadra, and he was earning a good amount of money. He was one of those people who had their minds really sorted out and knew exactly what they wanted. Javi was the kind of guy who didn’t want any hassle in his life. He wanted to fall in love with a girl, have a family with her, and live a happy life. Unfortunately, he met Rosa Peral, and he thought that she was the one with whom he would spend his entire life. Rosa was undeniably charming, and she knew how to allure a man. Javi was smitten with Rosa, like many other men, as soon as he saw her, but what distinguished him from others was that he was looking for something sustainable; he didn’t want a fling or an affair that lasted only for a few months. He actually believed that Rosa was his “forever” and that he would grow old with her and enjoy life to the fullest. But Rosa turned out to be a very different kind of person.
The reason why Javi was in the dark for the longest time was that Rosa was exceptionally good at lying, and the thought had never crossed Javi’s mind that she was capable of indulging with another man. For the first time, his trust was broken when he found the email that was sent by the precinct captain to a lot of Rosa’s colleagues. Javi felt like his life and entire belief system were shattered there and then. His relationship with Rosa was going perfectly well, and the woman didn’t have any reason to go out and indulge with another man. Obviously, Rosa’s privacy was violated, but then again, Javi didn’t care about that, as all he could see was his life getting destroyed in front of his own eyes. He decided at that moment that he wouldn’t be staying with Rosa any longer. He packed his bags and left the house, but fate had something else planned for him.
Javi was a good human being, and he couldn’t get over Rosa, no matter how hard he tried. He met Rosa, and once again, he fell in love. Rosa did have that kind of charm, and she liked it if someone gave her the attention that she craved. Deep down, Javi must have known that he was committing a mistake, but he wanted to take a chance; he wanted to trust Rosa; he wanted to believe that he could have a fairy tale ending with her. Things were going fine between Javi and Rosa, and the former believed that he had made the right choice by coming back to her. They had kids together, and Javi married Rosa eventually. But then, once again, it felt like history repeated itself, and Javi found out that Rosa was having an affair with Albert. This time, Javi had had enough, and he didn’t want to forgive her since he had given Rosa a second chance and she had betrayed his trust. He left her for good, and after that day, he never tried to come back into her life. Rosa tried to stop him, but she should have known what consequences her actions could entail.
The love and care that Javi had for Rosa was evident from the fact that even when Detective Ester Varona came to him, he hid a lot of things about Rosa that he knew could go against her. And what did Rosa do in return? She tried to frame him and make it look like Javi had killed Pedro. Javi confronted Rosa and told her that he was a fool and that he was still trying to defend her, whereas she just wanted to throw him under the bus. This was the very reason he decided to give an interview and tell the world that he had nothing to do with the murder of Pedro Rodrigues. He was also working in the police department, and he didn’t want people to judge him or think that he was involved with Rosa in any manner. Rosa’s parents knew that Javi going on television and spitting facts about their daughter could be detrimental to her, and they would have tried approaching him and telling him not to do so. But Javi obviously didn’t listen, and he had had enough. Rosa’s father blamed him for seeking attention and taking money from the broadcasters for agreeing to give the interview, but we do not know how much of that is true.
Where are Javi and Sofia now?
Rosa had believed that she would be able to deceive everybody, but her own daughter’s testimony became detrimental to her cause, and it did end up influencing the jury. Sofia told Carmen, Javi’s new partner, that she had seen blood in her basement. Basically, she was awake when Rosa and Albert were trying to dispose of the body, and for days after that, she told her grandfather that there was a monster in the basement. Rosa’s father had told her about it, and that’s when she had a talk with Sofia and assured her that there was no monster in the basement. But after Rosa was taken into custody and her trial was about to begin, Sofia told Carmen and Javi what she had seen.
Sofia’s testimony was not admissible in court as she was given the option to not go against her mother, but Carmen testified on her behalf, and though she was allowed to only tell in gestures and not in words what Sofia had told her, the jury got to know the point that she wanted to make. Sofia’s testimony had a huge role to play in the court proceeding, and Rosa was sentenced to 25 years in prison as a result of the cumulative evidence and testimonies.
For many months, Rosa avoided meeting her daughter, as she didn’t want her to see her mother in that state. Javi was a good father, and he made sure that his daughter had the best life. Javi continued with his job, and Sofia stayed with him and Carmen, as now, in the absence of Rosa, there were no custody issues. Carmen was very close to Sofia, and she made sure that the little girl never had any kind of issue. Javi didn’t like Sofia visiting her grandparents that much, and he had made it very clear that he didn’t want her to contact Rosa in her absence.
Javi never had any kind of ill feelings for Rosa, and he was not happy with what had happened to her. But now that he knew the kind of person she was, he wanted to limit his association with her and that of his daughter, too. Sofia still visits her mother on a regular basis in prison, and we don’t believe that Javi would have ever stopped her from doing so. Javi wanted an uncomplicated life, and he got that in the end. Carmen looked like a supportive wife, and now that there were no custody battles to fight, Javi could spend as much time as he wanted with his daughter.
