Apparently, the world is riddled with many inexplainable happenings that borders between the unknown and the shockingly unbelievable. Yet, when people go out of their way to take lives, there is no explanation for such heinous crimes except to ask why someone like Juana Barraza did not pursue a legitimate career.
Her arrest and subsequent reference to as El Mataviejitas came following discoveries of the dead bodies of old ladies in Mexico over a period of many years. Despite her use of many disguises, it turns out that Barraza had killed about 50 women.
How Juana Barraza Became El Mataviejitas
In 2003, the Mexican authority was forced to name its first serial killer El Mataviejitas after years of recording a pattern of old ladies being killed. As it is, old ladies fell victim to a killer who posed as a nurse doing the rounds to tend to their health needs. Turns out that the killer compiled a list of old ladies who were on the government assistance programs. Once inside their homes, the story ended with the victims being strangled or stabbed.
After many reports and eyewitness accounts of a fleeing ‘man’ who wore red clothes, the authorities started looking for a male suspect who they thought was a ‘sexually confused man’ not knowing it was Juana Barraza disguised as a man to commit the heinous crimes. The criminologist came to this conclusion mostly from eyewitness accounts of a fleeing stocky killer.
Despite escaping being caught, El Mataviejitas met her waterloo on January 25, 2006, after killing an old lady named Ana Maria de Los Reyes Alfaro. As the story goes, she strangled the 82-year-old Alfaro with a stethoscope but while trying to escape, the victim’s tenant, a woman saw her fleeing and quickly alerted the police who arrested Barraza before she could flee the area.
Did You Know These Shocking Details About Juana Barraza ?
1. She Grew Up In Poverty
She was born Juana Dayanara Barraza on December 27, 1957 in Hidalgo, Mexico. Though it is generally believed that her father was a police officer named Trinidad Barraza, he was absent from her life and only had her mother, Justa Samperio.
Apart from enduring the harsh conditions of living in the poverty-stricken part of northern Mexico City, she was also constantly beaten by her alcoholic mother. Her mother’s alcoholism would eventually lead her to more trauma.
2. Juana Barraza was Sold off At the age of 13
Long before Mexico experienced the killing spree, Juana’s turbulent childhood included being pushed into the hands of an older man. As it is she was sold off when she was only 13 years old to a man old enough to be her father.
The identified man, Jose Lugo took advantage of her mother’s alcoholism. Reportedly, Juana was bargained for three bears. As it is, a younger Juana did not process the cruel bargain probably due to her age. Yet, reality dawned on her when the man took her and no member of her family showed up to rescue her. Infact, Lugo, her new owner kept her for the next five years and repeatedly raped her.
3. Did She Have Children?
Barraza had four children one of whom was a product of her relationship with Lugo. It is generally believed that her other children are products of three different relationships.
Her oldest son died due to an injury that he sustained when he was mugged with a baseball bat. Barraza’s second child, a daughter married at an early age and left to be with her husband.
Barraza’s two other children who identified as a 13-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl at the time of her trial stayed with their older sister.
4. The Serial Killer was Rescued From Her Rapist/Owner After Five Years
Having suffered the ordeal of being owned and mistreated, her family finally found her years later. It turns out that all the while her mother lied to her uncles about what happened to her.
Since fate was on her side, Juana’s uncles continued searching for her despite the fact that her mother had told them that she had just left.
5. Juana Barraza Was a Professional Wrestler
An ordinary person is not likely to execute the professionalism that Barraza showed in carrying out her crimes except with the backing of a kind of self-defense skill. In the light of things, Juana was a Luchadores, a kind of traditional wrestler that wore masks to conceal their identities. Moreover, she also had an interest in the Martial Arts style known as Lucha Libre.
She pursued a wrestling career under the ring name, Lady of Silence. In fact, she was quite a spectacle in the amateur circuit. Outside of wrestling, she was also a popcorn vendor.
While her ring name only gave her a wrestling identity, it was also a double entendre. That is it also described her killing of ladies without getting caught.
6. She Killed due to Childhood Trauma
The Little old lady killer was quite successful in carrying out her crimes probably due to her many disguise. Moreso, she stole items like religious trinkets from her victims to make it look like a failed burglary.
While these stolen items served as mementos, the real reason for her crimes laid far from theft. She later revealed the reason to be as a result of the trauma she suffered in her childhood. While her abuser was a man, she may have turned on older women because her mother was the enabler of her abuse.
7. El Mataviejitas Crimes Led to the Arrest of Transvestite Prostitutes
In the early years of her crimes when the police could not nail the criminal, they went after transvestite prostitutes who were often males that dressed as women. The arrest of these men was so severe while the crimes continued unabated that it led to a public outcry against the police.
In the end, the police realized that the real killer was still at large and they had to continue with their investigations.
8. Her Killing Spree is Widely Circulated in the Media
Juana’s crimes may have been brought to an end with her arrest but she remains a part of media culture. She is portrayed in;
TV Series
- Mujer Casos de la vida Real
- Maggi Pensionasa Episode of Mujeres Asesinas 3(2010)
- Criminal Minds(Machismo-19 Episode)
- Deadly Women(Payback)
Documentary
- Instinto Asesino(Mataviejitas)
Podcast
- The Last Podcast on The Left(478 Episode)
9. She Married and Divorced
She tried to take a new turn while serving her detention. Barraza is said to have dated and married another inmate, Miguel Angel who was considered dangerous in 2015.
Their relationship was through letters while their marriage was organized through a government program called Lazos en Reclusion. The couple saw only three times throughout their marriage before divorced in 2017.
See Also: John Ripple: Man Robbed Bank To Avoid Wife, Gets Sent Back Home
10. Where Is Juana Barraza Now?
The Mexican wrestler turned serial killer was sentenced to 759 years in prison after being found guilty of sixteen of the thirty murders she was tried for. Moreso, she was found guilty of 12 robberies.
In the aftermath of her divorce, she now sells Tacos from Mondays to Wednesdays while serving her sentence
Of all her crimes, she was charged for only those that could be tied to fingerprints. While she will serve her sentence concurrently as dictated by Mexican law, her likely parole will be in 2058.
