The Murder of Raquel Calderin

Written By Kiley Baumgartner

For this case I watched an episode of The Perfect Murder. It’s season 4 episode 5, titled ‘Body in the Glades.’

A 42 year old mother of three disappears after leaving work.

Background

Raquel Calderin met her husband Jesus Maqueria in Cuba. She was 18, and he was 12 years older. They soon started a relationship, moved to Miami, got married and had three children, Danelys, Melissa and Angel.

They were married for about 20 years, but in 2012, Raquel filed for divorce. Jesus was abusive and controlling, and Raquel finally decided to leave Jesus. Raquel met a new man, and was working as a custodian at various elementary schools. Her goal was to earn enough money to get custody of her children.

Raquel Calderin

Raquel Calderin

The Disappearance

On September 4, 2012, Raquel had plans with her boyfriend after work. She spoke to him as she was leaving, around 9:30pm, when suddenly the line went dead. He tried calling her back, but there was no answer.

The next morning, he went to the police station to report her missing. The Miami Dade police called jails, hospitals, etc., but there was no sign of Raquel or her vehicle. Her cell phone and credit cards also hadn’t been used.

The police reached out to Raquel’s estranged husband Jesus. He agreed to meet with them in person. He told them that he had actually seen Raquel on the afternoon she went missing. He said his daughter wasn’t feeling well, and wanted to see her mom.

Raquel’s daughter Melissa recorded the meeting on her phone, and told the police that her older sister had asked her to record it. A brief clip was shown in this episode, but there was no audio. It just showed Raquel talking to them through the car window.

Jesus and his two youngest children said they were home all night, and that he cooked for them. The police left, but Jesus was still a suspect.

An Abusive Relationship

The police reached out to Raquel and Jesus’ oldest daughter Danelys, who had moved to Tampa when she turned 18.

They asked her why she had her sister record her parents interaction. The daughter said so that she could see the interaction for herself. She said her mom seemed really sad, depressed even.

The police also learned from one of Raquel’s friends that Jesus abused her. The friend said they had met when their kids were in elementary school, and that she and Raquel would have coffee together. There were times when she saw bruises or a black eye on Raquel, but she refused to talk about it.

The Other Suspects

The police had to look into Raquel’s new boyfriend. He said that he loved Raquel, and agreed to take a polygraph test. He passed, and soon it was revealed that he wasn’t the killer.

Another possible theory was brought up after a jail inmate told the police that he had information about a woman that went missing. He said his cellmate had confessed that he was involved. The cellmate had been released from jail on the day that Raquel went missing. His freedom didn’t last long, and he was back in jail a few weeks later.

This turned out to be a false lead, and the inmate was ruled out. He had been out of town during the time of the murder.

Where is Raquel?

Raquel’s case went cold, until about a year after she went missing.

Information started coming out about the abuse that Raquel had been through at the hands of Jesus. Raquel also confided in her friend that she had found a GPS tracking device on her car, and that Jesus had hired a private investigator.

Jesus painted a picture of Raquel to the kids that she didn’t love them. The younger ones believed it, but not their oldest. The police drove to Tampa to meet with her. She said she had left when she turned 18, because her dad abused her too. She also said she couldn’t stand the arguments, and felt terrible about having to leave her younger siblings.

The oldest daughter agreed to go back to Miami with the police. They called Jesus to come in, and gave him a ruse about getting DNA from all family members, in case Raquel was found. He agreed, and brought the children with him.

They were then reunited with their sister, and she told them that they needed to be honest.

The Everglades

The kids didn’t change their story at first, and it was clear that Jesus had told them what to say. They eventually told the police that their dad hadn’t been home all night. He went out for several hours, and came back all dirty. When his daughter had asked him where he was, he said he had been with their mom.

The police confronted Jesus about this. He laughed and mocked the police, as well as his children.

After a six hour interview, Jesus was arrested. A warrant was obtained for the family home, where they found the GPS tracking equipment.

The police also contacted Jesus’ parents. They discovered that on the night Raquel went missing, Jesus’ dad Felix, had driven out to pick up his son near Tamiami Trail and Kromes Ave.

On June 16, 2014, divers searched the area. Raquel’s car and remains were found in the water. A butcher knife, Jesus’ sunglasses and cell phone were all in the car as well. The police knew they were Jesus’ glasses because he had been wearing them in that cell phone video that his daughter took.

Raquel’s SUV

Raquel’s SUV

The Conviction

Jesus soon received word about the discovery from prison. He became distraught, and threatened to kill himself.

At his trial, it didn't take the jury long to find him guilty of first degree murder and aggravated stalking. He was sentenced to life in prison, plus 5 years.

When he was led out of the courtroom, he yelled that everyone was out to get him.

Jesus Maqueria

Jesus Maqueria

Kiley Baumgartner
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