0:00

Cavalry audio, the studio that brought

0:02

you the devil within and the murder

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chronicles, and executive producer

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Oscar Isaac. are proud to present

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a new true crime podcast, the

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Rosenberg case, a tale of murder,

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corruption, and conspiracy. in

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Guatemala. I'm Edgar Castillo,

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a first generation Guatemalan american.

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Join me as we explore the

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true story of the bizarre assassination

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of Rodrigo Rosenberg, an influential

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Guatemalan lawyer who was gunned down

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while on his Sunday morning by Red.

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In May of two thousand nine,

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at his funeral, he posthumously released

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a YouTube video that declared

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If you're seeing this video, it

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means that I've been murdered by president,

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Alvaro Colon, Guatemala

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sitting present, The video

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unleashed a major political upheaval

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and one of the most unpredictable

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murder investigations in

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history. I'm about to play

0:59

you a clip from the Rosenberg case.

1:02

And while you're listening, be

1:04

sure to follow on Apple podcasts.

1:06

or wherever you get your podcasts. You

1:09

can also listen to episodes a week

1:11

early and add free. By

1:13

subscribing to Cavalry Plus, on

1:16

the Apple Podcasts

1:17

app.

1:18

audio.

1:23

On May tenth, two thousand nine.

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Rodrigo Rosenberg, Marchano, woke

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up early around seven o'clock.

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It was a bright fresh

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Sunday morning in Guatemala City,

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the capital of Guatemala. It

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was Mother's Day. That

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morning, Rosenberg woke up early.

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because he had a lot on his mind.

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He

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was in the middle of the biggest, most

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consequential case of his career, and

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he needed to clear his head.

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Rodrigo Rosenberg was a prominent

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corporate lawyer, a wealthy

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member of the elite class.

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he had an apartment in zone fourteen,

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an opulent neighborhood where diplomats

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send heirs to colonial coffee fortunes

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live in heavily guarded high rises.

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At forty eight years old, Rosenberg

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was still fit and healthy, still

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in his prime.

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And

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that morning, a few minutes

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after eight, he put

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his headphones on,

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queued up a santana song on his iPod

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and set off on a bike ride.

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At ten minutes past eight, he

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was only a block away from his apartment

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building. heading down the surface

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road

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when it happened.

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The

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first bullet entered his back,

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exiting

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out the left side of his stomach.

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The next two shots hit the left side

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of his face,

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on the cheek.

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The

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fourth bullet was probably the one that

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killed him. It

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entered from underneath his jaw.

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ripped through his eye and

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burst out through his left temple.

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His

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body collapsed onto a grass embankment

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on the side of the road.

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Then for good measure, the

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killer placed the barrel of his nine millimeter

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to the center of Rosenberg's forehead.

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and

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fired at point blank range.

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Rodrigo

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Rosenberg was dead, murdered.

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six four hundred ninety eight.

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That's how many homicides, Guatemala

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recorded in two thousand nine. giving

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the Central American country one of

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the highest per capita murder rates

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in the world. Meaning,

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It wasn't that unusual to see

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someone gunned down in the middle of a street

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in broad daylight. But

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the murder of Rodrigo Rosenberg was

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different. Hell,

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it wasn't just different. It was different

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on steroids and then dipped in

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barbecue sauce. And

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within forty eight hours, it

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would plunge the entire nation of Guatemala

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into total chaos.

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This is a story about a murder.

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about how one murder exploded

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into a political firestorm. It's

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about the international team of investigators,

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tasked with solving the crime and

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unraveling the Byzantine mystery

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behind it. The shocking

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twists and turns of which would

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involve the most powerful people in

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Guatemala, including

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the president himself.

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This is a story about power,

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about secrets and lies, about

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the craziest most baffling

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political conspiracy ever.

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I know that sounds like a bold statement,

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but trust me, you've never come across

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anything like this.

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Imagine Oliver Stone sipping on

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Ayahuasca Tea while going

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full pizzagate on YouTube. that's

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the level we're gonna reach here.

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But whenever I think about the Rosenberg

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case, I always think about the

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man himself, his

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state of mind.

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And I always come back to the same

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question. The morning

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he was murdered right before he

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died.

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What was he thinking?

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As he rode his bike, sunshine

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on his face, music playing in

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his ears. What was

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going through his head? Was

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he asking himself questions like,

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How did this happen? How did

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it come to this? Could I

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have done something differently? Should

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I keep going?

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when that first bullet hit him in

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the back as his body

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went numb and the light began

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to fade. Maybe he

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was asking himself

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the same question the

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whole world would soon be asking.

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Who killed Rodrigo, Rosenberg.

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that

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From Cavalry Audio, an executive

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producer, Oscar Isaac. I'm

6:20

Edgar Castillo, and this

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is the Rosenberg case.

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You're listening to episode one, the

6:28

lawyer.