Where is Juana Barraza Now? We discuss the Netflix true crime documentary The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders, which contains details some may find disturbing.
The multiple deaths of older women in Mexico between 1998 and 2005 led to a growing horror for many people who believed a serial killer targeted a vulnerable group of women. Still, authorities seemed to downplay the horrific murders, and when the truth was revealed, it shocked the nation.
The story that unfolded was a bizarre and twisted tale.
The victims lived in similar environments, near parks and gardens, and were over sixty years old.
As the murders grew in numbers, the police were finally forced to admit there was a killer on the loose, and eventually, the killer would make a mistake, leading to her eventual arrest.
The stylishly produced documentary is a shocking account of the events that occurred, and this article is a short accompanying piece that will provide some chilling details about the case as we answer the question: where is Juana Barraza now?
Who is Juana Barraza, and what happened to her?
Coming from a broken home, Juana Barraza was born in 1957 but had a terrible childhood with an alcoholic mother who was alleged to be a sex worker. Her father was in law enforcement, but after his death, things became worse for Juana. Eventually, her mother died, and she moved to Mexico City, where she would take on various jobs.
She would find work in the entertainment profession as a masked wrestler, but financial problems would lead her down a criminal path. Along with a friend who acted as an accomplice, she would form a plan to rob older people disguised as a nurse to gain their trust.
In 1996, she would instigate her plan with the help of her friend, Araceli Tapia Martínez. Disguised as nurses, they gained access to their victims’ homes and started a campaign of terror and murder.
As the murder count rose, the killings became known as “La Mataviejitas” or The Old Lady Killer, and Barraza would be responsible for the death of what is now thought to be over forty murders over seven years.
Mistakes in the investigation allowed the attacks to continue, with authorities believing the attacker was male and assuming the male attacker was dressed as a woman to commit the crimes, despite some witnesses claiming it was a female they should be looking for.
Eventually, Barraza would be disturbed while in a lady’s house by a neighbor who would pursue her when she fled. Alerting a nearby police car, she would be captured and finally arrested.
Where is Juana Barraza now?
A trial would result in Barraza being found guilty of eleven counts of murder and charges of aggravated murder. A sentence of seven hundred and fifty-nine years, the highest sentence ever given in Mexico, was handed down.
She currently remains in a Mexican jail.
Did Juana Barazza have kids?
A series of failed relationships resulted in Barrazza having four children, one of whom would die at twenty-four.
What was Juana Barazza’s childhood like?
A traumatic childhood of neglect and abuse would be used in her defense, with anger towards her mother being cited as a motivation for the attacks against the older women. After her father’s death, who was in law enforcement, her mother, an alcoholic, would neglect and abuse Barazza.
Her mother would eventually die from cirrhosis.
