HBO Max investigates Wanninkhof case

WarnerMedia-owned US streamer HBO Max has greenlit a true crime series about a notorious miscarriage of justice in Spain.

Xelo Montesinos

Dolores: The Truth About the Wanninkhof Case has been ordered ahead of HBO Max’s arrival in Spain later this year.

The 6×50’ series is being produced by Spanish outfit Unicorn Content. It focuses on the 2000 case of Dolores Vázquez, who was arrested as the main suspect in the murder of Rocío Wanninkhof, the daughter of her ex-partner, Alicia Hornos.

The case started a media frenzy in Spain that shocked the public and put pressure on the police to find answers quickly. Dolores was stigmatised in the local press for her sexuality, her character and her apparent indifference to the case, and was described as a cold, calculating and intelligent murderer.

This was compounded by the actions of Hornos, who became a frequent guest on TV, blaming her ex-partner for her daughter’s death. It destroyed the public’s perception of Vázquez and she spent 519 days in prison for a crime she never committed before her conviction was overturned.

Now, after more than 20 years of silence and exile in England, Vázquez will speak about the case on camera for the first time.

Xelo Montesinos, founder and CEO of Unicorn Content, said: “This was one of the most serious miscarriages of justice in Spain ever, and finally the story will be told in all its detail for the first time. Reality is sometimes stranger than fiction, and in this case it’s even more obvious.”

Miguel Salvat and Hanka Kasteliková are the executive producers for HBO Max, while Montesinos, Víctor García Martín and Toñi Moreno exec produce for Unicorn Content.