Eleuterio Sánchez Rodríguez (born 1942), known as El Lute, was at one time listed as Spain's "Most Wanted" criminal. He was a legendary Spanish outlaw who escaped several times from prison after being convicted and sentenced at age 23 to 30 years for murder. 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.
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Eleuterio Sánchez Rodríguez was born in 1942 in Salamanca, in Western Spain. 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.
As a young man, Sánchez stole two hens and was sentenced to six months in prison. Soon after his release, in 1965, he was arrested, convicted of murder and sentenced to death for the armed robbery of a jewelry store in Madrid, in which a security guard was killed. His sentence was commuted to 30 years in a military prison. Maintaining his innocence, Sánchez fought his conviction. During several escapes, he was listed by the police as Spain's "most wanted" criminal.
Although Sánchez entered prison as an illiterate peasant, he taught himself to read. He went on to earn a law degree, wrote five books, and continued his fight to clear his name. Sánchez was finally pardoned on June 20, 1981.[1] Afterward he lived in Tomares with his second wife and her two children. He left the persona of El Lute behind.
In February 2006, he and his wife argued in the street in Punta Umbría over alleged infidelity.[2] [3] His wife told police he had abused her, and Sánchez was arrested. He was later released on bail temporarily. In April 2008, the court found him not guilty. The judge concluded that his ex-wife's accusations were not reliable.[4]
Sánchez married twice and was divorced twice.