In a Barcelona trial, authorities discussed seizing a share of income linked to Rosa Peral and Albert López, two municipal officers who were found guilty in connection with what prosecutors call the City Watch crime. The issue at the center of the legal debate concerns compensation tied to the broadcast of the television series The Body on Fire, a production inspired by the same murder case. The litigation revolves around whether Netflix should be charged for the use of individuals’ images in the program and who should bear the responsibility for any resulting financial claims.
Judicial sources indicate that the regional court accepted a formal request filed by the defense team representing a special investigation unit established by relatives of the murdered agent. The objective of this legal maneuver is to prevent the convicts from monetizing the case through the streaming platform without ensuring a satisfactory compensation arrangement, with a figure hovering around 800,000 euros as a potential settlement or penalty amount that could influence the eventual sentence in the criminal proceeding.
Rosa Peral and Albert López, both members of Barcelona’s police force, received prison sentences of 25 and 20 years respectively in May 2017. The charges stem from allegations that, within a love triangle involving a fellow officer, Peral engaged in the murder of her partner, who was also in law enforcement. The case has since generated widespread public attention due to its sensational nature and the ongoing media interest related to the dramatization of the events in a televised format.
A television project titled Rosa’s Ribbons, which takes inspiration from the crime, has prompted a legal response from the convicted individual who seeks monetary compensation for the use of her image and personal narrative in the series. The emergence of the program on the streaming platform raised questions about the rights of the individuals depicted and the extent to which their stories can be commercialized for entertainment purposes without consent or fair acknowledgment of their dignity and privacy concerns.
Peral pursued a further legal step by requesting the court to temporarily halt the premiere of the series in Vilanova i la Geltrú in the Barcelona area. Although these efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, the episode underscores the tension between artistic reinterpretation of real events and the protection of personal rights. The production eventually premiered on a set date in early September following the legal developments, marking another chapter in the case that blends crime, media, and the public’s fascination with true-life narratives. The ongoing legal dialogue includes a petition alleging violations of dignity, personal and family privacy, and one’s own image, with Arcadia Motion Pictures SL named as a defendant and Netflix Transmission Services Spain SL as another implicated participant in a broader legal discussion that may inform future rulings on compensation and accountability for content creators in similar circumstances. Citations to court filings and official records provide the factual backbone for the claims raised by the plaintiff, offering readers a grounded view of the evolving legal landscape surrounding media rights and criminal fame.