Eleuterio Sánchez Rodríguez (born 15 April 1942), known as El Lute, was at one time listed as Spain's "Most Wanted" criminal and later became a published writer. He was a legendary

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

outlaw who escaped several times from prison after being convicted at age 23 of murder and sentenced to 30 years. While in prison, he learned to read, earned a law degree, and became a writer, continuing to protest his innocence of the charges. He was pardoned and released on June 20, 1981, at the age of 39. He published two memoirs, ''Camina o revienta'' (''Walk or Die'') (1977) and '' Mañana seré libre'' (''Tomorrow I'll Be Free'') (1979), while he was still in prison. These were later adapted as a two-part film series on his life directed by

Vicente Aranda Vicente Aranda Ezquerra (; 9 November 1926 – 26 May 2015) was a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer. Due to his refined and personal style, he was one of the most renowned Spanish filmmakers. He started as a founding member ...

and released in 1987 and 1988.

Early life and education

Eleuterio Sánchez Rodríguez was born in 1942 in

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

, in western

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. He was born into a desperately poor merchero peasant family while his father was in prison. He never received any formal education as a child and was illiterate.

Life

Early life

Sánchez and his family suffered discrimination as poor

mercheros Quinqui jargon is associated with ''quincalleros'' (an itinerant group). They are a semi-nomadic people who live mainly in the northern half of Spain. They prefer to be called ''mercheros''. They have declined in number from earlier reports an ...

, who were nomadic craftsmen earning money as tinkers. They were often considered suspect by police and forced to move on. He married a young woman, Chelo, and they had a daughter. As a young man, he stole two hens and was sentenced to six months in prison. Soon after his release, in 1965 Sánchez was arrested and convicted of murder for the armed robbery of a jewelry store in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, in which a security guard was killed. At the age of 23, he was sentenced to death for the robbery and murder and also received "sentences totaling 1,000 years for other crimes". His death sentence was commuted to 30 years in a military prison. Maintaining his innocence, Sánchez fought his conviction. Known as ''El Lute'', during several escapes from prison, he was listed by the police as Spain's "most wanted" criminal. His reputation became legendary, and he was a symbol of resistance to the oppression of the poor under Franco. He was recaptured and used his time to educate himself. Although Sánchez entered prison as an illiterate peasant, he taught himself to read and became self-educated. He earned a law degree, wrote five books, and published two memoirs while in prison. He continued his fight to clear his name.

Release from prison and later life

After the change in government, Sánchez was pardoned and released on June 20, 1981."Spain Pardons Eleuterio Sanchez, The Murderer Known as El Lute"
''New York Times'' Afterward he married again, living in Tomares near Seville with his second wife Carmen Cañavate, and her two children. He left the persona of ''El Lute'' behind. In 1987 and 1988 a two-part film series was released about his life. Based on his memoirs, it was directed by

, who portrayed Sánchez in the context of Franco's Spain. In February 2006, Sánchez was arrested for alleged abuse of his wife, Carmen Cañavate, at home and threats on the street. El Lute: "Me siento crucificado"
, ''

El País (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second-most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . is the most read newspaper in ...

'', 19 March 2006. His wife told police he had abused her at home, and Sánchez was arrested in Seville. Under the law he could be sentenced to 20 months in prison, lose the right to bear arms, and be required to keep 300 meters from his spouse. He was later released on bail. In April 2008, the court found Sánchez not guilty; the judge noted that there were accusations of mutual infidelity, the couple were separating and arguing over property, and his ex-wife had failed to bring medical records, although claiming to have been treated for injury. The judge concluded there was too much contradictory testimony to support the charges.El Lute, absuelto de la acusación de maltrato a su ex-esposa

, April 2008.

Books

*'' Camina o revienta'' (''Forge On or Die'') (1977), published while he was still in prison. *'' Mañana seré libre'' (''Tomorrow I'll Be free'') (1979), published while he was in prison. *'' Una pluma entre rejas'' (''A Pen Behind Bars'') (1981) *'' Cuando resistir es Vencer (When to Resist Is to Succeed) (2013)'' Bonilla, Kristina; "El Lute: die letzte Flucht." Roman, Piper Verlander, ISBN 3-492-02373-8. Munchen, Zurich, 1978

Representation in other media

* In 1979, Eleuterio Sánchez's life was the subject of a hit single " El Lute" by

Boney M. Boney M. is a German reggae, funk and disco music group founded in 1974. It achieved popularity during the disco era in the second half of the 1970s. The band was created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary song ...

from the album ''

Oceans of Fantasy ''Oceans of Fantasy'' is the fourth studio album by Euro-Caribbean group Boney M. Released in September 1979, ''Oceans of Fantasy'' became the second Boney M. album to top the UK charts and features the hits " El Lute / Gotta Go Home" and " I'm B ...

''. * Sánchez was the subject of a two-part film series by

adapted from his two memoirs, ''El Lute: Camina o revienta'' (1987), and ''El Lute II: Mañana seré libre]'' (1988). Sánchez was played by

Imanol Arias Manuel María Arias Domínguez (born 26 April 1956), better known as Imanol Arias, is a Spanish actor. In his career beginnings, Arias was a recurring face of Basque cinema. His career in the 21st-century is marked by his portrayal of Antonio ...

. * In the 2010 Spanish dramedy '' The Last Circus'', which has a plot set in the 1970s, Eleuterio Sánchez is mentioned repeatedly on news broadcasts.