Blas Gamez Ortiz: How Did the Valencia Deputy Inspector Die?

‘A Widow’s Game‘ dramatizes the real-life case that unraveled around The Black Widow Of Patraix, a woman who planned the murder of her husband with the help of one of her lovers. In bringing the true-crime story to the screen, the Spanish Netflix film retains many of the same elements, including the characters of the convicted murderers, Maria Jesus Moreno and Salvador Rodrigo Lapiedra. On the flip side, the law-abiding characters, like lead investigator Eva Torres and her team, appear as more fictionalized versions of their real-life counterparts. One of these characters includes Berni, Eva’s on-screen partner, who faces a brutal demise. Blas Gamez Ortiz, the fallen Valencia Deputy Inspector behind the film’s end-credits dedication, serves as the inspiration behind Berni’s character. As such, given the latter’s ambiguous demise on-screen, Ortiz’s real-life story possesses an inherent level of intrigue.

Blas Gamez Ortiz Died While Attempting to Detain a Murder Suspect

In September of 2017, Valencia’s National Police Homicide Brigade was looking into the murder of Antonio Navarro, an investigation headed by the department head, Esther Maldonado Marin. Around the same time, on September 12, the authorities discovered a strange scene at a property in the Russafa neighborhood. At the crime scene, an officer discovered a suitcase that contained a victim’s chopped-up and stabbed torso. As a result, the Homicide Brigade sent out two of its officers to investigate the case and identify the victim. Deputy Inspector Blas Gamez Ortiz was one of these officers.

On the scene, Ortiz and his partner found a man who became a prime suspect in the case. As the duo tried to keep the situation under their control, the suspected perpetrator, armed with a lethal knife, attacked the Deputy Inspector. Before anyone could stop him, he repeatedly stabbed the officer. By the time the other officer was able to shoot at the attacker and pry him off his partner, the former had already inflicted several fatal wounds. In the end, the emergency services couldn’t arrive quickly enough to save Ortiz, who passed away from the violent attack. A similar fate awaited his attacker, who sustained life-ending gunshot wounds.

Pierre Danilo Larancuent Was Identified as Blas Gamez Ortiz’s Killer

Blas Gamez Ortiz’s unexpected demise came as a tragic surprise to his friends, family, and colleagues. The Deputy Inspector was one of the most senior members of his team, and his career spanned over 28 years. He also had years of experience with high-risk operations and had earned many accolades, including the Cross of Merit with white badge and Dedication to the Police Service awards. As a result, his untimely passing at 51 was mourned by his loved ones as well as his community at large. In 2018, the city council added his name to a plaque at a park located in Plaza de América to honor his memory.

In the aftermath, the authorities also discovered several facets of the fatal incident. For one, the perpetrator was identified as Pierre Danilo Larancuent, a Swedish psychopathic crime novelist with a hefty criminal past in his home country involving murder and drug smuggling. Furthermore, the cops also found him to be behind the murder of the initial victim, whose body was found in the suitcase. The unfortunate victim was a 42-year-old hairdresser named Alberto Enrique Ferrer, who met Larancuent over the internet. Ultimately, Ortiz and Ferrer’s killer died on the same day as the Deputy Inspector, bringing the case to an immediate conclusion. Additionally, the local sports and torrentine society also named him Neighbor of the Year and rechristened their 10k and Marathon events as Memorial Blas Gámez. Thus, through these moments of recognition, the community paid homage to his family and collectively mourned the grief of such a tragic loss.