Lady of Silence, The: The Mataviejitas Murders (2023)

[bunniefuu]

When I dance, I like to be held completely

I was her only daughter.

Just imagine, I was always…
everything, right? I was her everything.

I was her everything and she was mine.

She was demanding, but very warm.

She really spoiled me.

She gave me everything, right?
Her love, mainly.

I was very happy to have her as my mom.

She was the most indulgent grandmother
that you can imagine.

She took them out
and traveled with them everywhere.

A week before an event
that changed my life,

something amazing and magical happened.

It was as if my mom could tell
what was going to happen

because she gave me
even more love than she ever had before.

At around 1:00 or 1:30,

the phone rang

and I saw that it was my mom's number.

I froze and didn't want to pick up,
you know?

Román, my partner, said,

"Answer the phone.
Why aren't you answering?"

I grabbed the phone.

"Yes, Mom, what's up? How are you?"

And I heard the voice of my nephew,
who lived here.

"Vero, your mom died."

Someone had strangled her with a cable.

Despite the evidence that the police has,

seniors are still being m*rder*d.

FEDERAL DISTRICT, MEXICO
SERIAL k*ller

The k*ller is a tall,

fair-skinned, and has a muscular build.

Between 1998 and 2005,

at least 49 cases
have been recorded in Mexico City.

The "Mataviejitas" case has become

the biggest challenge
for the Federal District police squad.

THE LADY OF SILENCE:
THE MATAVIEJITAS MURDERS

My mom was applying
for her seniors' benefits ID card.

My cousin mentioned,

"Yes, a social worker came
and said that she would apply for her."

She didn't ask for ID or anything.

She took off
and left her at my mom's house.

And when Román came to see her,

she was very bloated
and her skin was blue, in fact.

OCTOBER 28, 2003

OLD LADY IS STRANGLED

The investigation began.

There were helicopters
and more helicopters in the whole area.

I mean, it was shocking.

Riot policemen and others came here.

They were looking everywhere for clues.

I mean, we had no idea what was going on.

I noticed a number
next to my mother's name.

So I started asking a police officer,

"Why do you have a board…?"

"My mom is number six. Why?"

"Because this could be
the work of a serial k*ller."

I was astonished.

I have always liked investigative work.

Crime, the study of crime,
and its social impact.

I have a close friendship

with the forensic doctor assigned
to the Benito Juárez borough back then.

Each time they brought in a body,

I was curious to come
and investigate the causes of death

because I have a diploma
in Forensic Medicine.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In September 2003,
I noticed there was a body.

And he said, "It is an elderly lady."

She had been strangled to death.

The cord was still
wrapped around her neck.

One week later, we found another body,

that of an elderly person

who had died in the same manner,
asphyxiated due to strangulation.

We started examining the victim's wounds,

and the type of knot that was used,

and we thought it was very odd
because it was very similar.

Two weeks later, we received

the body of another elderly person.

Same thing.

We thought it was too odd
and too frequent.

And about one month later,
there was another homicide.

This time it was in Coyoacán,
rather than Benito Juárez,

with the exact same characteristics.

That's when I first thought,

"This is a serial k*ller."

In 2003, we weren't sure yet
if it was a serial k*ller,

because we didn't have serial K*llers
in our country.

They didn't really take me seriously.

"No, don't watch so many TV shows."

"You're exaggerating."

The last serial k*ller we had,
who was actually a spree k*ller,

was Goyo Cárdenas back in 1942.

He had k*lled four housekeepers

which is why
he was considered a serial k*ller.

But from 1942 until 2003,

the fact that nothing like this
had happened in our country

presented us with a big challenge.

I followed the news.

And I started keeping notes.

I started to work backward.

The earliest I got

was 1996, 1997,

which is when I found
the first violent robbery

against an elderly person

in which the victim was strangled.

SERIAL k*lling OF OLD WOMEN

m*rder*r OF NINE OLD LADIES
IS BEING TRACKED

SERIAL k*ller IS THREATENING
FEDERAL DISTRICT

We started telling each other

that something was going on,

and asking the questions
that forced the police

to acknowledge that this was happening.

Because they obviously didn't want
to make it public.

We slowly realized

that this was a serial k*ller.

Maybe I denied it at one point,

but it must have been at the beginning.

We also didn't want to spark an outrage,

or appear in sensationalist headlines.

We tried to be as discreet as possible.

There was no link

between the victim and the m*rder*r.

They weren't family members,
or friends, or enemies, or neighbors.

There was no real motive
other than robbery.

The wave of senior killings
in the Federal District

continues unabated.

In the eyes of the people,

the District Attorney's Office
of the Federal District

is not doing anything.

After fierce resistance,

the city government had to acknowledge
that there was actually a serial k*ller,

and the District Attorney's Office
of the Federal District

formed a special group
for finding and locating them.

-Prickly pears, ten pesos per bag.
-What are you taking?

We were ready because we had a great team
of specialists and experts

in crime scene reconstruction,

crime scene preservation.

Of course not. Who would be ready?

So we got ready along the way.

And what happened?
The victim's family members

cleaned the crime scene,
washed, picked up everything.

And when you got there, you'd say,

"Why did you clean everything?
There's no way we'll find fingerprints."

"We won't be able
to document with photos."

They'd say,
"No, we're holding a vigil for Grandma."

I mean, I get it.

And who could blame them?

We started studying

serial k*ller cases,

events in other countries.

We asked for help from abroad,

from people who have investigated
these types of cases for years.

Mainly the French,

who had dealt
with the Monster of Montmartre.

Thierry Paulin could be the worst m*rder*r

in the history
of the French justice system.

Eleven old ladies k*lled,
always with the same method.

He followed the victims to their homes,

he tortured them until they told him
where they kept their savings,

and then he strangled them to death.

Death sentence!

He caused great unease in Paris.

The old lady k*ller

that was arrested yesterday
committed at least 21 murders.

Thanks to fingerprints and other evidence,

Thierry Paulin, 24, was identified.

It's the result of three years of work.

TOULON, FRANCE

In serial cases like these,

there is no link
between the perpetrator and the victim.

So you can work as much as you want

around the victim,

around their personal environment,
but you won't find anything

because the encounter with the m*rder*r
is isolated and incidental.

That's why these investigations
are so hard.

And perhaps
everybody was aware at that time

of how difficult it was
for the Mexican police

to work in these situations.

My first contact with the Mexican police

was when I came to teach the course.

COURSE ON SERIAL KILLINGS
IS BROUGHT FROM ABROAD

It was a homicide investigation course.

They already had certain techniques

for investigating serial K*llers.

…participation in the course.

Each country has
its own type of criminality.

Sometimes,
there were even some misunderstandings

because they couldn't understand
our methods and they would say,

"This cannot be done in Mexico
because of this or that."

And I understood very well

because we do not work the same way.

Between signs, a bit of English,
and a bit of French,

we took the course,

and I think I did learn a lot
from those techniques.

We created the profile

based on the descriptions
provided by the witnesses.

It was a tall person.

Between 45 and 48 years old.

Broad back, big hands.

Strong and burly.

Short hair.

Dressed as a nurse.

One of the k*ller's stratagems

was to pretend to be someone
who was helping,

through the public policy program,
through the welfare program,

elderly persons.

It was provided as financial support.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador,
Mexico City's Governor, had this idea,

which he considered a way

to safeguard the dignity
of elderly people.

Acts of support continue

for seniors.

352,000 respectable seniors

are receiving this benefit.

A very original program, very important.

So if a person showed up

pretending to be someone
who is helping you

get this card to receive this benefit,

that person would be welcome.

The information that we had
started to match.

However, there were some variations.

No two witnesses
describe a person the same way.

The main lines of investigation
that I established

were finding nurses,

healthcare workers.

And we started noticing the modus operandi

of the perpetrator.

Today, a nurse that works at the ISSSTE

was detained.

Matilde Sánchez Gallegos

was a good coworker who we all liked.

MATILDE SÁNCHEZ
WAS INTERROGATED FOR MORE THAN 10 HOURS

Back then, I used to represent

these workers at the ten ISSSTE clinics.

Well, on January 9, 2004,

my coworkers called me on the phone

to tell me that Matilde

had basically been forced

to get into a patrol car
and was driven away.

The Metro newspaper
published on its front page

one of the first composite sketches
of the "Mataviejitas".

A pair of beat cops
who'd bought the newspaper that day,

while skimming through the newspaper,

noticed there was a person at a bank

with the physical features
of the composite sketch.

The nurse was detained at a bank branch

in the Coyoacán borough.

When she saw the police,
she started acting suspiciously,

so the police decided to detain her.

We requested information about Matilde.

They said that she wasn't there,
that they didn't know what I meant.

Suddenly, they came out running

with a person,
covering her with some jackets,

and I saw
that she was wearing white shoes.

I immediately thought it was Matilde.

So, I yelled,
"Matilde! Don't take Matilde!"

The news started showing

that the "Mataviejitas" had been found.

And when I saw the composite sketch again,

it resembled my coworker more and more.

I couldn't believe it, but the features

actually fully matched.

I told my coworkers, "You know what?"

"What will happen
is that we'll have a scapegoat

and she will be sent to prison."

She was put in a room
with a one-way mirror

to be identified by witnesses
of some of the cases.

Obviously, they didn't recognize her.

We decided to block Tlalpan Avenue

as a way to pressure them
to release Matilde.

We said that once
she was released into our care,

we would leave.

They had to release her 15 hours later

without any charges.

We had some fingerprints
and compared them to hers,

and they didn't match at all.

She was released

and we're very sorry for what happened

because these things
should not happen, right?

The FBI says

that serial K*llers have different phases.

The first is the selection phase.

Observing and stalking
their potential victim.

Choosing their victim.

We knew that she studied the person

and made sure that the person was alone.

The next was the seduction phase.

That was important.

The skill
that would grant her access to the home.

It was difficult.

Back then, especially due to
the lack of public safety

nobody agreed to it.

So, the k*ller displayed an ability
to interact with seniors.

"Hey, I work for the City Government."

"I provide support to seniors.
What do you need?"

"Let me help you."

"We'll give you a special card
because I see that you live by yourself."

"Yes, come in. Let me make you some tea."

She sat down to have some tea.
The seduction phase.

Once she realized
that her victim would be her victim,

she moved on to the execution phase.

Then, she strangled.

In a very similar way in all cases.

With a scarf

or with one if the old lady's items.

It could be the cord of a curtain rod.

It could be a robe sash.

It could be the cable
of an old tape recorder.

And then there was
a "take a souvenir" phase.

She would take something
that reminded her of that victim.

PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

And it creates outrage within the society.

I hope they solve it soon.

It was my grandma, but I don't want it
to happen to anybody's grandma.

They're not taking care of it
as they should.

The authorities aren't doing anything.

Years ago,
nobody paid attention to the elderly.

And now, they want to protect us
from murderers running amok.

The District Attorney's Office
acknowledged that the number of murders

of seniors increased
from 12 to 14 this year.

When you turned on the TV
or opened the newspaper,

the first thing you saw
was news about the "Mataviejitas."

"Mataviejitas."

OLD LADY STRANGLED

There wasn't a single place

where the case wasn't being discussed.

ANOTHER OLD LADY IS k*lled,
IN SANTA MARÍA

SERIAL HOMICIDES

18 SENIORS k*lled IN A YEAR

ONE SINGLE PERSON k*lled 20 OLD LADIES

In every family, everybody
has to go to work, go to school.

And seniors

stay home, alone.

And then they become potential victims

of someone
who might want to take advantage of that.

Some precautions are put into place,
even within families,

"Don't open the door to anybody.
Don't talk to anybody."

If you see a senior with someone else,

call the agency's emergency numbers
as soon as possible.

What we are doing

is telling people to be cautious.

To be wary.

To be alert.

To not be deceived the way other seniors
were, unfortunately, deceived.

MARÍA DE LUZ GONZÁLEZ ANAYA
64 YEARS OLD

They started realizing
that all the female victims

were women who lived by themselves.

They said that their lives were gloomy

and filled with nostalgia.

And this defines
the serial k*ller profile,

and the prevention strategy
for the serial k*ller.

Knowing there's a man on the loose

who is murdering seniors

and walking alone

on these streets,
like this woman walking here, vulnerable.

Which precautions do you take?
Do you look around?

I turn around and I watch.

If I see someone

who is following me,

I cross over there
and I turn around discreetly to see

if they're still following me.

Do you know what this person looks like?

No, because
I am actually scared of everybody.

There was a specific statement

made by District Attorney Bernardo Bátiz

that defined the parameters
of the investigation.

Old habits and standards of behavior

regarding respect towards the elderly,
children and women start disappearing

and the number
of homicides indeed increases.

Bátiz says that before he finishes
his term, he has to find

the "Mataviejitas" serial k*ller

because they are attacking
a sector of the population

that nobody attacked before,
not even criminals.

Sara García,

one of the most important actresses
of the Mexican Golden Era,

and who, as time went by,
became Mexico's grandma,

played the part,
in her movie The Three Garcías,

of a selfless grandma

that scolds her grandsons,

classic macho men who have respect
for nobody, except their grandma.

Bernardo Bátiz's statement was, literally,

like a scene from The Three Garcías.

There is a general sense of respect

towards seniors, especially older ladies.

Everybody calls them "grandma,"
even if they are not their grandmas.

Tell me why

Tell me, grandma

Tell me why

Why are you so old?

Tell me why

You don't like

Jumping on the beds anymore

In Mexican culture, grandmothers

represent the ideal woman.

A selfless mom
that makes sacrifices for her family.

That's why it was preposterous

that Mexican grandmas were getting k*lled.

I didn't want to go inside that house.

We felt that, any minute,

something awful would happen again.

Our nerves were shot.

We had to ask the police to come with us,

to take every strand of hair,
every piece of garbage.

I found the glass
that was in the living room,

I put it in a bag.

Turns out, it had the fingerprint
of the person who hurt my mom.

That was crucial.

A FINGERPRINT LEFT BEHIND…

LINK FOUND TO m*rder
OF ELDERLY WOMAN IN CUAUHTÉMOC

EVIDENCE POINTS TO "MATAVIEJITAS"

A victim's report
led to the capture of this woman,

who, through the fingerprints
she left behind on a glass,

was identified and located.

She was identified by four elderly people

who were deceived with the promise
of financial aid cards.

She will be in custody

of the Main Prosecutor's Office
for Homicide Investigation.

Araceli Vázquez was linked

to several burglaries

by the investigative police unit
at main prosecutor's offices.

My mom had this quirk.

She never removed tags from anything.

I remember that she had these watches

with tags that were yellowed
because they were old.

And one of the watches taken from Araceli

had that characteristic.

That was the only thing I saw.

And my children, who had to be there,

said, "My grandma used to wear this.
My grandma used to wear that."

Because of her methods,

the police are investigating if this woman

is also linked
to at least five of the murders

of old people
that have been committed lately.

Please note that we found at her home

a white coat, a wig,

and some ID cards
from the National Institute of Old Age

that were issued to elderly people,

and this matches
the modus operandi of the murders.

At that time,
suspects were shown in public.

This happened at a press room.

People were exposed there

to whatever the police
wanted to do and say.

-Let her do it herself!
-Let her do it herself!

Let her do it herself!

The thief is female?

We could yell a question at them.

How did you know which houses to target?

Because I never followed
a specific method.

I walked.

If I saw an elderly person sweeping
or peeking outside…

I don't know, cleaning their windows,

I'd say, "There's someone here."

If I saw a family member,
a son, a daughter, someone,

I kept walking, I never went inside.

I mean, in fact,
I never broke into a house.

She was accused of several robberies,

but perhaps she was identified
in one of the m*rder cases.

We had prepared a lineup

with all the murderers
linked to this case,

in a one-way mirror room
for the witnesses.

ARACELI VÁZQUEZ'S HOUSE IS SEARCHED
IN ACOLMAN AND STOLEN OBJECTS ARE FOUND

ROBBER IS LINKED TO OLD LADY'S DEATH

THIEF IS ACCUSED OF FIVE CRIMES

ARACELI VÁZQUEZ GARCÍA
39 YEARS OLD

DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE LINKS
ARACELI VÁZQUEZ TO HUSBAND IN THE CRIMES

"MATAVIEJITAS" IS PUNISHED

PRESUMED COLLUSION
IN THE HOMICIDE OF GRANDMAS

Early this morning,

the body
of María de los Ángeles Repper Hernández

was found in her room
with a garment tied around her neck.

She was 92 years old.

I remember that a few months after Araceli
was detained,

murders of old ladies kept happening

and so, the question was,

"Are they?"

"Are they not?"

"And who is then committing these crimes?"

GUADALUPE GONZÁLEZ SÁNCHEZ
74 YEARS OLD

ESTELA CANTORAL TREJO
85 YEARS OLD

DELFINA GONZÁLEZ CASTILLO
92 YEARS OLD

MARÍA VIRGINIA XELEHUATZI TIZAPÁN
84 YEARS OLD

MARGARITA MARTELL VÁZQUEZ
72 YEARS OLD

MARÍA DE LOS ÁNGELES CORTÉS
84 YEARS OLD

More than ten old ladies
have been strangled so far

in the Federal District in 2004.

They all lived alone
and had some form of income.

Another alleged m*rder*r
of elderly women was detained.

His name is Jorge Mario Tablas Silva,

and he, allegedly, committed two crimes.

He wore a white coat and either a wig

or dyed hair.

He pretended to be a nurse

in order to establish a relationship
with María Eugenia Guzmán Noguez,

of 66 years of age, to whom he promised
to give a financial support card.

The capital's District Attorney's Office

believes that he's the perpetrator
of eight additional murders.

The District Attorney's Office
conducted many searches and, officially,

found many belongings

linked to the m*rder of old ladies.

FIFTH CRIME IS ATTRIBUTED
TO IMPRISONED "MATAVIEJITAS"

A blonde wig,

a stethoscope, and even a Bible,

which had some passage on the front cover

through which God
gave his permission to exterminate.

Apparently,
he was the second serial k*ller,

and we were wondering,
"How many are there?"

It's been six years

since Jorge Mario Tablas
committed his first crime

against a person
who gave him a place to stay.

In May 1998,

the suspect was linked to the m*rder

of María Amparo González Salceda,

who also died by strangulation.

Were you able to prove that homicide?

No, I don't think we were.

And there wasn't,
just like in Araceli's case,

any conclusive evidence

to prove that he was the serial k*ller.

There were copycats.

And they kept k*lling people.

We had to keep working.

There were copycats
and the Prosecutor's Office,

formerly the District Attorney's Office,
needed

to deliver some results.

That's the problem with these cases.

Back then, many times,
and in many District Attorney offices,

they detained people to investigate,
instead of investigating to detain people.

It was a chance
for the Office of the District Attorney

to decrease
some of the pressure they were feeling.

Political, social, and media-related.

Despite the composite sketches
and the leads that the police has,

the killings of elderly people
in Mexico City haven't stopped.

The capital's District Attorney's Office
requested the help of this institute,

whose investigators concluded
that the "Mataviejitas"

has decreased
the interval between murders.

The first ones are one year apart.

Then, the interval decreased
to a few months.

And now, it's a few weeks.

The opposing party in Mexico City

obviously used this
to attack the government.

To prove that things were not done right.

There were complaints
against the District Attorney, Mr. Bátiz.

They said, "Are you going to catch
the 'Mataviejitos'?"

"Our grandmas are being m*rder*d."

Mr. Bernardo Bátiz Vázquez,
District Attorney of the Federal District.

We hereby formally express
our sincere concern

over the rising wave of violence
against elderly women.

And we urge you to take decisive action

to protect this segment of society

which is classified
as one of the most vulnerable ones.

They were demanding the removal
of the former District Attorney.

We, the local legislators
from Acción Nacional Parliamentary Group

have launched actions
to inform and prevent,

through a campaign called Safe Home,

which we believe
you've been made aware of.

There are some PAN legislators

that, with good or bad intentions,

are saying that some locks,
some little chains, are necessary.

They even gave me one for free.

The lock for Bátiz's home.

It was not necessary to force open doors
to get to the victims.

They opened the door.

Or out on the street,
they gave the criminal instructions

on how to get to their home.

When I made that joke,
the journalists said,

"Hey, they say that,
since you're an old man,

they'll bring a lock to your home."

I live with my wife.

And I may be old, but I still got it.

District Attorney, but this kind of…

They got very upset,
but then they calmed down.

I think that the trigger
that made the case explode

was the fact that in 2005,

we already had more than 30 homicides
that were connected to this case.

Between 1998 and 2005,

at least 49 cases
have been recorded in Mexico City.

There were three murders
committed in 1998.

Two in 1999.

Two in 2001. Two in 2002.

By 2003, there were 12.

Seventeen in 2004.

And on the weekend,
two more were recorded.

The investigations done by the police
didn't seem meticulous.

We know there was concern
inside the District Attorney's Office.

It was affecting the administration.

It was undermining
the people's trust in the police

and the fight against crime at the time.

INAPAM HIRES CRIMINOLOGIST
TO "HUNT" "MATAVIEJITAS"

PGJDF OFFERS MORE RESOURCES
TO CATCH THE "MATAVIEJITAS"

One of the factors
that made this a high-profile case

was the daily political confrontation
between the Governor of Mexico City

and former President Vicente Fox.

There were disputes every single day.

Therefore, the possibility
that a serial k*ller might exist

could reflect the inability
of the Governor of Mexico City,

who wanted to run for President back then.

Long live Mexico!

Long may it live!

I think that this "Mataviejitas" case

became very high-profile
because it happened in Mexico City.

Because, even though we were seeing

an increase in the number of femicides
in the State of Mexico,

and, unfortunately,
in Ciudad Juárez as well,

in that poor border area,

it wasn't treated the same way
because that was happening far away.

Violent crimes against women
are unstoppable in Ciudad Juárez.

According to numbers provided
by the State Attorney's Office,

m*rder*d women make up more
than 10% of the crimes recorded

in that part of the state of Chihuahua.

The investigation binders
created more than a decade ago

are still unsolved.

There's been a lot of violence
in Ciudad Juárez for a long time.

They haven't solved anything.
We don't have faith in them.

I don't even have faith in the police.

During my investigation work
in the "Mataviejitas" case,

which lasted at least ten years,

I noticed that during the same time

that the m*rder of old ladies
took place in Mexico City,

more than 300 murders
of young women

were officially recorded in Ciudad Juárez.

And at least 4,000 people disappeared
in the State of Mexico.

The statements provided
by the police and the media

are drastically different.

While the "Mataviejitas" victims

are considered vulnerable,

femicide victims
are judged by the way they dress,

where they go, where they are.

The government has never launched
such an exhaustive search

to solve the femicide cases

as they did with the search
of the old lady serial k*ller.

In fact, 92% of femicides

go unsolved.

Teacher Lolita left her door open

almost all afternoon long
after coming home from work.

And in the evening,

she closed her door and went to bed.

The "Mataviejitas"
used to sit down with the doorman

and talked about the neighbors,

which ones lived by themselves…

So, she found out
that Teacher María Dolores lived alone

and she befriended her.

And she'd go up to her apartment.

Therefore, she knew and was aware,
as they say, of all her activities.

And it didn't take her long.

Maybe a month or two
before she was k*lled in her apartment.

Apparently, the telephone cord was wrapped
around her neck and she was choked.

Ever since, her apartment has remained
exactly like she left it.

GRANDMA k*ller ATTACKS

A few months later,
we were told there was a suspect.

A potentially suspicious man.

In some cases,

the m*rder*r is tall,
with fair complexion and stocky.

Actually, due to how the victims
have been subdued,

it can't be ruled out
that it's a man dressed as a woman.

We know that the suspect
dresses as a woman,

but is also reportedly strong
and with big hands,

so it could be a man.

We knew it could be a man
dressed as a woman

or a strong woman
with some masculine features.

We have information from witnesses

and we think

that this is the one
that most closely resembles

the potential serial k*ller.

The one thing that made it less likely
that it was a woman

was the strength used
to suffocate the victims.

That was one of the most solid theories,

that it was a man dressed as a woman.

And it could be a h*m*.

I mean, we couldn't rule out anything.

We had to investigate everything.

At a certain time, we went
to the meeting spot where we work.

I found it strange to see patrol cars,

but I didn't think it was important.

And I arrived
at the spot with the ladies,

and we were all talking.

"There are many patrol cars back there."

The trucks
of the famous riot police officers.

We never imagined it was an operation

against sex trade work,
as it's called nowadays.

Previously, we called it "whoring."

And they started to come
to the spot where we gathered.

From the left and the right sides.

And they started making arrests.

Those who resisted or said,
"Tell me why," or "What's going on?"…

Pardon the language,
but we were f*cking forced to go.

Once inside the vehicle,
they used tear gas.

"Don't look at me. You are so f*cked."

And they kidnapped us

because at that moment,
we didn't know the cause of the operation.

I remember I was home,

and my coworker Alma Delia called me.

She said, "Hey, guess what."

"There's an operation
and everyone is being taken."

"They are being beaten up."

"They are being tear-gassed."

We didn't know
what was happening around us.

They took our fingerprints
from both hands.

They violated all our rights.
They trampled us and all that.

It was what is commonly
or colloquially known as a raid.

I never ordered a raid
or a massive search.

If the preventive police
or the judicial police

did something on their own

which, sometimes, they did…

They had to confront on the streets

what I only saw from far away
in my office.

The District Attorney's Office,
with their absurd theory or hypothesis

that the "Mataviejitas"
was a cross-dresser…

well, obviously,
who else, except the hookers?

"This one has more resemblance.
This one has more features."

"No, this one
is almost the composite sketch."

In fact, they got me involved
by saying that I was the "Mataviejitas."

I think it was simply
because of my physique.

My appearance, because I am stocky,

I don't look like a Barbie doll.

Why did you suspect, at some point,
that it was a tr*nsv*stite?

Because of the physical strength.

I believe they arrested
between 80 and 120.

Most of us were booked.

There were no bookings.

There were no bookings or anything else.

We only wanted to see
if the fingerprints matched.

They didn't match and they were released.
We didn't do anything else.

HOMESEXUALS DEMAND
NOT TO BE TREATED AS CRIMINALS

TRANSVESTITES AGAINST "MATAVIEJITAS"

We apologized.

But we had to investigate.

We were working on a very serious,
very severe case.

And we were working on a case

of m*rder of the most vulnerable people
in our society, the elderly.

They tried to solve the case

without having all the evidence.

There was great confusion.

I remember

around 47, 48

crime scenes.

They had traces of fingerprints.

But none of them helped
to make an identification.

Criminals rarely leave behind
full fingerprints.

In one of the cases,
we had a full fingerprint.

She pretended to be a paramedic.

She offered her services.

She had some X-rays…

The victim had some X-rays.

The k*ller asks to see the X-ray.

The k*ller takes it, looks at it.

A family member of the potential victim
stopped by, so the k*ller fled.

We had a full fingerprint on an X-ray.

Now we had to link a name
to that fingerprint.

And we had a very large
fingerprint database.

And we compared the fingerprints
left behind by the "Mataviejitas"

at the crime scene,

and there were no matches.

We accessed all the databases we could.

We obviously accessed
the databases linked

to other prosecutor's offices back then.

They meticulously scrutinized

each case during the investigation,

but they didn't know who it was.

It was kind of an obsession,

because I already knew
what this person looked like.

And you start searching, right?

Who looks like the k*ller? This one does.
This one has a different height.

The walls in my room were covered
with the composite sketches.

With the maps.

They said, "We have to catch her,
no matter what."

I told the head of Forensic Services

that we should make a 3D bust.

And he said, "No, we only do that

to identify bone remains."

So I decided to do it myself.

Since I had all the composite sketches
up to that point,

120 or 125 composite sketches,

I started getting averages
of the same type of eyes,

the same type of nose,
the same type of lips,

and I created a composite picture.

And that was enough
to create the 3D bust.

I created it with a Styrofoam base

and commercial plasticine.

The eyes are made of glass.

I used fake eyelashes.

And since it was commercial plasticine,

it melts with heat.

I kept it in the fridge at home.

My daughters were young and used to say,
"Mom, get that out of there."

"Each time we open the fridge,
we see that head."

And people started to identify her.

Because when I was creating it,

I was in touch
with some witnesses and victims.

I'd ask, "What do you think?"

"Does it look like her?
From which angle did you see her?"

And I started doing little modifications,

until I got the bust that people know.

Gender, female.

Age, 45 years old.

Height, 1,70 meters.

Build, stocky.
Mouth, medium. Lips, thin.

My grandma had fallen
inside her apartment.

Ever since, she couldn't go outside
to run her errands.

I asked her
to come live with me somewhere else.

She refused. This was her home.

I asked her, "Do you want to stay here?"

She said, "Yes," and I said, "Fine."

Let's get organized and we can stay here.

What made us happy

was going to museums,
the opera, Bellas Artes.

I even took her to bars.

She was…

She was… my favorite person in the world.

She was sleeping.
In the morning, I went to work early.

I always called her
between 3:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon.

She didn't answer.

It was around noon.

Between 12:00 and 1:00,
I was having lunch.

My mom and my dad used to close the window
when they were eating.

I said, "I'll close it."

Then I turned around,

and saw someone
going through Margarita's drawers.

She stared at me.

We stared at each other.

The look in her eye was harsh,
cold, disturbing.

Since I left in a hurry,
I forgot the keys.

And so, I rang the bell.

She didn't come out, and all the lights
were off. It was getting dark.

I rang the neighbor's bell.

I said, "My grandma didn't answer the door
and I don't have my keys."

Through the window, he yelled,
"Miss Margarita!"

And I yelled, "Mane,"
but there was no answer.

Then Ale said, "Something is going on."

That's why they broke the glass.

The back bedroom looked like
it had been ransacked.

Then, someone called me…

I don't remember which of the two
called me and said, "She's here."

There were two pieces of evidence.

One, the jewelry boxes.

They found fingerprints there.

And second, my grandma
was very eccentric, maybe.

And if she placed some cushions
in the living room,

they had to be perfectly aligned.

And I said,
"Those cushions are misaligned."

They flipped one of them,
and it was stained.

They performed forensic tests

and realized
that it was my grandma's blood.

In short, she suffocated her.

The street was in chaos
because of the live broadcasts.

The neighbors asked, "What happened?
We're watching the news."

And I said I didn't know anything.

Someone told me to pack some clothes.
I only took my pajamas.

I didn't know
that they would shut down the apartment.

Jewels were stolen.

Money, since my grandma
received a pension.

The k*ller knew exactly where to look.

The jewelry boxes that were not visible.
They were among her clothes.

Then we went to the police station,

and that's when they told me.

That's when I learned

that my grandma was very likely…

one more victim.

In a city like the Federal District,

it isn't easy to find
a needle in a haystack.

But there was a key piece of evidence
that helped us see a common pattern,

which is what you look for
in cases like this.

I started creating a geographical profile
by pinpointing on a map

the spots where the homicides took place.

I gave each year a different color.

Serial K*llers
never k*ll close to their homes,

never k*ll close to their workplaces.

We could see
that there were subway stations

in the surrounding areas.

Next stop, Tlatelolco station.

The k*ller would exit the station
or transfer to another train.

And went looking for a new victim.

Sometimes, the k*ller didn't find anybody

and went somewhere else the following day.

Mattresses, refrigerators.

Or anything made of iron
that you're selling.

While we tried to determine
where the k*ller lived or worked,

we realized that the murders
always happened in front of parks.

So, we noticed how this matched
the selection phase.

And we have the modus operandi.

She approaches by gaining,
or trying to gain, the victim's trust.

Most likely close to a park or garden,

because in 99% of all cases,

the homicides take place
next to a park or garden.

At the Undersecretary's Office
of Public Safety,

as well as other agencies
related to safety,

people who have a position

are usually identified
by means of a moniker.

A nickname.

In my case, they called me "Tiger."

I had the opportunity to be called

by Mr. Renato Sales Heredia,
deputy district attorney,

who told me, "Tiger, come to my office."

And he said, "We want to show you
what we're doing

to stop the "Mataviejitas."

And they showed me a map of Mexico City

that had some pins attached to it.

He said, "This is the area
where the crimes are taking place."

We have deployed an operation
called "Parks and Gardens."

The criminal goes to parks

to find elderly people,

and then offers to walk them
to their home,

k*lling them there."

So, I said, "Come over to this side."

"What do you see?"

He went over and checked.
And he just stared.

He said, "The map." I said, "Yes,
but the map is telling you something."

Renato said, "I don't understand."

I said, "Tell me the distance
between this park

and the house where it happened."

"Six blocks."

I said, "Six blocks on foot."

"That's not it."

"Have you at least inquired

if there are activities at those parks

geared towards elderly people?"

"No, there aren't any."

I said, "Then you should rule out
that hypothesis."

I asked, "Do you have a map
that shows which way the streets go?"

They brought a road atlas,
and I said, "Look."

"The sites where the crimes occur

are connected to main roads

that allow for a quick escape route."

"As long as you do it
going the opposite way."

So, they asked, "Would you help us?"
I said, "Of course."

It was on September 28, 2005.

There was a knock on the door,
and it was Ms. Lupita.

But I noticed that she came with a woman.

Very stocky.

Not really fat, but stocky.
Like with a broad back.

I just remember
that she was wearing a red raincoat.

A red raincoat.

She had cropper hair
and dark olive complexion.

And when I peeked outside,
she turned away from me and popped

her collar.

Like she wanted to hide.

We didn't pay attention to those things.

Then, Ms. Lupita
went upstairs with that person.

And that was it.

There was no commotion,
no noise, no nothing.

Miss Lupita was lying on her back.

Her skirt was pulled up.

Completely suffocated,
with her hosiery still around her neck.

You know? Like wrapped around it.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2005

OLD PEOPLE PANIC

MRS. GUADALUPE OLIVEIRA WAS CHOKED

LAST FAREWELL TO MRS. LUPITA

I immediately called
all the police officers.

They arrived right away, as always.

You have to treat police officers
like police officers.

So, I said, "I'm just leaving
the District Attorney's Office,

where they say

that you are only good to get drunks
out of bars, and just occasionally."

"They wouldn't stop saying
that you are all incompetent,

useless, worthless."

My patrol car that day was BC3-2050.

I was in charge of the first section
of the Moctezuma neighborhood.

We were neighborhood police officers
back then.

And then,
one of the officers said, "m*therf*ckers."

I said,
"They said worse things about you."

That you root for América."
They all said, "Oh."

"Tell me. Is it true what they said
at the District Attorney's Office?"

"No, sir."

"Who owns this city?" "We do."

"Who patrols?" "We do."

"Who will stop her?" "We will!"

I said, "Go ahead then."

I started going around neighborhoods
at 5:00 a.m.

All the officers went out with that order,
to find the serial k*ller.

Then I took out the composite sketches.

After the pep talk, I said,

"Distribute them immediately
among all units."

And we had it with us the whole time,

as if it was part of our uniform.

"Keep your eyes wide open."

"Report anything that seems odd."

Chief Briones. A great guy.

I said, "Look."

"This dude is operating in this area."

"Look at this map."

"Then, increase the patrol rounds,
but do it differently."

And I remember he said,
"Yes, in a serpentine pattern."

I said, "Whichever way you want, man,
but you should innovate."

Operation Serpentine
consisted in patrol cars

driving at cruising speed
with the siren on.

We had to be unpredictable.

They covered every street
of that neighborhood

north to south, and south to north.

The composite sketches
started showing up all around the city.

In the media, the campaign intensified.

We were hard on her heels.

Most of the time that I lived in Jasso

it was at Ana María de los Reyes's house.

Normally, the space
that we shared most often was the kitchen.

Drinking coffee or smoking a cigarette.

There was a song called
"I Smoke While I Wait."

She had this couch where she watched TV,
and she'd say, "Sit here."

"Pretend that you're smoking
and sing the song."

We were always communicating
through little notes.

If we didn't tell each other something,

she'd leave a note on my door.

"Joel, I went out shopping."

"I left food on the stove,
strawberries, and lemonade."

I loved watching them.
They held hands and looked like a couple.

They went to the market and came back.

And he whistled at her
like Pedro Infante to La Chorreada…

And she answered…

We were like two children enjoying life.

She came very often

because she liked coming
to smoke a cigarette with me.

We had coffee, we had juice.

And then she'd ask, "Shall I bring cheese
or beans? Let's have a taco."

We'd have a taco.

A beautiful person.

Based on the chronology of the crimes,
when do you expect…?

She liked watching news programs.

And I do remember that at some point,
she talked about that.

So in the Federal District, the number
of deaths could be between seven…

I just remember that I said,

"Oh, those are just stories."

More than 100 police officers
search for this serial k*ller,

whose composite sketch
has been released on TV.

As an expert on serial K*llers,

Ontiveros believes that the "Mataviejitas"

has been k*lling for about seven years
in the capital city.

JANUARY 25, 2006

That day, I woke up, got ready,

saw Ana,

she waved like this…

I left, went to work
and completed my shift.

Unfortunately, Joel was late that day.

He had to receive some merchandise
at work, and he was late.

When I left the subway station

and got to the corner
to turn on Jasso Street…

I turned and I saw
a patrol car on the left.

I had…

a weird feeling.

I got home

and saw that the windows were open…

as well as the front door to the house.

That seemed very odd.

And I whistled.

But there was no response.

That was very strange,
so I thought, "I'll take a peek."

All the drawers were open.

The clothes were scattered.

I turned to my left…

and I saw Ana
lying on the floor of the TV room.

I thought…

"This can't be happening."

KITCHEN - TV ROOM

At that moment, I heard a noise.

And I saw…

that woman.

During that brief moment…

we looked into each other's eyes.

I never spoke with her.

That woman turned around.

She left calmly through the living room.

I remember that I walked slowly,
kind of following her.

I went outside,

and at that moment,

I had the impulse to yell.

"Stop that woman!"

"Stop that woman!"

And I thought about Celina.

And I started yelling, "Celina!"

"Celina, help me!"

He came in
and pushed the door very hard.

"Help me! That woman hurt Ani!"

At that moment,
we were driving along Zaragoza Street.

We turned on José Jasso Street.

A young man came running.

He said, "Officer, help me!"

I noticed that the person turned around
and started running faster.

So I sped up

and told my partner, "You know what?"

"Get out and go to the other side."

"If she gets to the subway, she's gone."

When she was about
to go inside the subway station,

I grabbed her
and she stared at me like this.

She asked why.

"Get inside. Let's see what you did."

She tried to hit me.

I saw her trying to hit my partner.

I got out of the car and went to help him.

The young man came

and asked, "What did you do?
What did you do to my neighbor?"

She ran out of the house.

The lady took off,
running down the street.

My partner and I
each grabbed one of her arms

and put her in the patrol car.

THE "MATAVIEJITAS" HAS BEEN CAUGHT

The "Mataviejitas" was caught more than
seven years after the murders began.

The most wanted serial k*ller in Mexico
was finally arrested.

She was arrested today
in the Venustiano Carranza borough.

…by officers of the city police unit

after having k*lled an 82-year-old person.

Thanks to the statement of a person
who saw her leaving,

the police managed to capture her.

The "Mataviejitas" was caught.
Let's see what happened.

A neighbor noticed something suspicious.
He asked the police for help.

Fortunately,
there was a patrol car nearby,

car BCA3-1050.

She is now in custody.

CAPTURED!

We've been able to confirm,
with great accuracy,

that this is the woman who has committed

several homicides of elderly women.

She had two shopping bags,
the kind you get at the supermarket,

with plastic handles.

She had some voter ID cards,

food bank ID cards for seniors.

She had several wrestlers' business cards,

receipts of professional
wrestling ring rentals.

She had some bottles of shampoo
in her bags.

Lotions.

A hairspray,

a cell phone,

a blood pressure monitor.

She had some old coins,

pendants, chains.

A card of Saint Lazarus

and another one
of Our Lady of Holy Death.

She also had a keychain

that had the inscription
"The Lady of Silence!"

"Professional wrestler,
wrestling female world champion."

"Wishing you a Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year" on it.

I was surprised.

Seeing such a calm person.

Seeing a person
with no malice on her face.

She sat in the car, took out a sandwich,
and started eating.

In fact, she had in her hand
an image of the Holy Death.

And she started to eat.

I arrived.

I saw a very flashy person

with too much makeup.

I said, "Good afternoon." I sat down,
and she turned around to see me.

I asked, "Tell me, what do you do?"

She said, "Well, I do lots of things."

I said, "You must be an important woman."

"Besides, you're imposing."
I was looking at her arms.

I was looking at her hands.

Because when I talked to Renato

he told us
that his forensic team had indicated

that because of how the murders
had happened, and the testimonials,

it was probably a male
who practiced wrestling.

Because of how the chokehold was applied.

It's the headlock.

Yes, it's the headlock.

Those who practice it,
apply the lock with their arm.

She did it with an object.

I thought about this
when I was talking to her,

and I saw her arms and her big hands.

I asked, "What sport do you like?"

I said, "Tell me."
And I nudged her with my elbow.

She said, "Well, I really like wrestling."

I was like, "Oh, sh*t."

"Awesome. Great. I love wrestling."

I said, "Well, I'll be right back.
Let me speed up the paperwork."

"Fine. Thanks."

I stepped out. Briones was there.
The officers that detained her were there.

I turned towards Briones
and said, "It's her."

Why did you k*ll her?

-Why did you k*ll her?
-I can't tell you.

Ma'am, what's your name?

-Did you have a relationship with her?
-No, sir.

-Is this your first m*rder?
-What's your name?

Juana Barraza Samperio.

-Is it the first, ma'am?
-Yes, ma'am.

-Did you steal something from the home?
-No.

Is it the first time you've done this?

The first crime was in 1998.

And over the course of almost eight years,
48 old ladies died.

And the District Attorney's Office says
that this woman's fingerprints

match the fingerprints found
in at least ten murders

in which she would be directly involved.

We were always looking for a man.

And what surprised the whole police force

was that the serial k*ller was a woman.

Later I told one of my female coworkers

to check if she was actually a woman,
and she was.

I was really surprised.

Forty victims. A woman did it.

It wasn't easy to imagine

because this is not what usually happens.

Besides, there was violence,

which is more common with men
than with women.

Strong arms, a man.

Uses chokeholds, a man.

The stereotype of a serial k*ller

is always a man, not a woman.

Even saying "serial murderess"
creates a different type of allure.

"Oh, murderess. Look. Wow!"

A totally different curiosity.

Well, her name is Juana Barraza Samperio,

and she admitted that she m*rder*d
her victims out of anger.

The district attorney disclosed
this woman's troubled past

and said it could be the root cause
that turned her into a serial k*ller.

She was asked

about her motive,
why she k*lled her victims,

and she said it was out of anger.

When did you start committing
your homicides?

-My what?
-The homicides.

-No, it's the first time.
-It was the first time?

You haven't committed any others?
Why did you m*rder today?

Honestly, I lost it.

Why? What happened? Tell me.

-That lady and I started arguing.
-Why?

-Because of money.
-What money?

-My wages.
-I wasn't there.

Tell me everything in detail.
Why did you argue?

I arrived at her house and she
was going inside, opening the door.

She was coming back from the market.

And I asked her if she needed me
to wash or tidy up her home.

She said, "Not now."
I said, "Please give me some water."

She did, and she happily invited me
to come inside.

I checked things out,
but didn't steal anything.

But how was it? What made you so angry
that you'd want to hurt her?

Because I asked her how much
she would pay me for the quilts.

When she told me, I said,
"That's very little, ma'am."

She said, "You want to make
twice as much." That made me furious.

And I grabbed the rubber band,
but it wasn't mine.

It was on her table.

I grabbed it and choked her with it.

You left your fingerprints
in each of your crimes.

We are not making things up
or trying to trick you.

We don't need to treat you badly.
This is an open-and-shut case.

-You're here. We caught you.
-Yes.

I am not denying it.

First she said all of them,
then she said none.

Then she said one,
then she said only the last one.

-Were you mistreated as a child?
-Yes.

-By whom?
-By my mom.

Your mom mistreated you? Tell me about it.

Tell me.

My mom mistreated me badly.
She used to hit me.

And she always cursed me.
She gave me away to an older man.

-She gave you away? Let it off your chest.
-Yes, with a very old man.

-And I was abused?
-You were abused?

-Yes, that's why I hated the ladies.
-You hated the ladies.

-Let it off your chest.
-I know it's no excuse.

I don't deserve to be forgiven
by God or anybody.

I did it.

According to what she said herself,

when she was a teenager,
when she started her teenage years,

her mom exchanged her
for a carton of beer.

She gave her to a person,
an old man, a senior man,

in exchange for a carton of beer.

That's when the drama began for her.

That was, undoubtedly,
one of the psychological causes

of her deviation,
of her personal conflict.

Probably our first serial murderess,
right?

A Mexican one.

We would like to know what goes on

inside the mind of this type of criminal.

When she was
in the prosecutor's waiting room,

Dr. Apodaca asked her,
"Show me how you strangled them."

I decided to take off my tie
and give it to her.

And she began explaining.

She used Dr. Apodaca to show us,
and began strangling him.

At one point, she got excited
and squeezed hard.

I told another coworker, Miguel,

"Miguel, there is some hosiery
at the office."

Something like this.

When… Can you lower yourself a bit?
I did something like this.

I pulled like this, but leaning
my hand here so it doesn't straighten.

And here.

Here I pull tighter,

and when you can't breathe,
you fall, and I release you.

But I never remove…

And if the victim doesn't lower herself,
what do you do?

I push her down, like this.

But I never touch her with my hands.

-Just with the forearms.
-Yes.

And you tie another knot?

Yes, when I do this and…

I mean, because I won't remove it.
I do this.

Yes. Just leave it like that.

Look. Nobody has this.

This is one of the knots.

This is the knot
with which she strangled Miguel.

But the most important thing,
I'll show you,

is that she leaves an autograph.

This is Juana's… signature.

I told her, "Give me your autograph."

And she happily did.

Well, this is the second one,
because on the other side

is the first signature
on the same piece of hosiery.

This is priceless,

especially because of the knot
and the signature.

The capital police will get together
with the person who reported

the serial k*ller to see
how they can reward him.

The police officers
that carried out the arrest

will each be rewarded with 100,000 pesos.

I was told they were holding a ceremony

in which I would get an award.

He would actually be deemed a hero
just like the preventive police officers.

We give you this award. Congratulations.

Good luck.

Buy us something.

-Were you afraid?
-No, because it's our job.

It's your job. How did catching
this serial k*ller change your lives?

It's mostly personal satisfaction.
It's all personal.

-What did they tell you at home?
-"Congratulations."

-Your kids. Do you have kids?
-Yes, one.

-How old?
-Six.

-Six. He's young, right?
-Yes.

-What did your wife tell you?
-"Congratulations."

My siblings, my mom, even my neighbors.

When we did interviews,

people asked us to pose
for a photo with their kids.

In fact, a grandma once told me

that she had lit a votive candle for me.
"I lit a candle for you."

I got this medal from Congress.

We also received
the Police Achievement Award.

And as financial reward,

we each received 100,000 pesos
and an apartment.

That's what we…

And they suddenly said,

"You were instrumental. You were a hero."

But I don't see it that way.

I would have wanted…

to rescue her.

Everything about the crime!
She k*lled the grandmas.

It's in the newspaper!

According to her neighbors,
Juana Barraza was a normal woman.

She lived with her two children.

Like any other woman,
she had her hair cut two months ago

at the salon near her home.

I cut it and didn't want to dye it
because it was brittle.

I found it odd
that she wanted a new look every week.

And she had like a lower back injury
because she couldn't walk properly.

Even though she's been detained,

the neighbors are afraid.

In a way, I'm very afraid
because just imagine.

This is where she had been living
the last six months.

According to some neighbors,
she was a very lonesome woman

who did not interact
with any of the other residents.

Her whole place was painted red.

A total mess,

and the bedrooms were full of objects.

There were beds,
and you couldn't walk around

because of all the bags, shoes,
and clothes that were scattered.

On the right side of the entrance,

there was an altar
dedicated to the Holy Death.

There was a framed photo
in the living room.

What size?

Like 80 centimeters, so like a poster.

Of herself with her arms like this,

posing as a wrestler.

"MATAVIEJITAS"
CAPTURED

Yes, today's main story
is the "Mataviejitas."

The mysterious k*ller
turned out to be a female wrestler.

She called herself "The Lady of Silence."

For a while,

she was a professional wrestler.

She was called "The Lady of Silence."

"The Lady of Silence."

"The Lady of Silence."

"The Lady of Silence."
That was her nickname.

Well, we all wanted to learn more,

so we decided to go to the San Juan Arena.

Ladies and gentlemen,
there is wrestling tonight!

We have great fights lined up.
Heels versus Faces!

I have a question for you. Are you ready?

The Lady of Silence!

THE LADY OF SILENCE

We were sort of friends…
when it came to partying.

We partied together all the time.

Like, "Are you dating that guy?
Then I'll date this one."

We were…

We were wild.

She always said,
"What do you need? I'll come see you."

Yes, I really trusted her

because I even told her
about my personal problems.

I told her about my problems
with my daughter.

Lady!

But she never seemed angry.

There wasn't a trace of aggression in her.

She was a sweetheart.

Do it!

But I did find it odd

that she treated us to lunch
and paid a huge bill.

Yes, my pal carried quite a bit of money.

I found it strange
that she dyed her hair a lot.

I remember telling hair,
"Your hair will fall off."

She dyed it almost every month.

She dyed it blonde, red,

brown.

And she moved often.

Just last Friday,

there was a story in the midday newscast

that makes you wonder
about life's surprises.

That's right.
That woman that was wrestling that day

is the "Mataviejitas."

It seems like an act of defiance

that the woman most wanted by the police

whose composite sketch
was all over the country

would dare to appear on television.

In cold blood, the alleged k*ller

of, at least, ten old ladies,

said before our cameras
last Tuesday, January 17,

that she is very, very tough.

Never…

I never suspected that she was…

That it was her.

And my mom and I were watching TV,
and when she saw her…

I looked at my mom

and she said,
"Oh, honey. That's your friend."

"See? And you used to bring her here."

And when she was caught, I missed her.

And my family used to say, "Don't say
she's your friend. Aren't you ashamed?"

"Why would I be?"

THE LADY OF SILENCE

"The Lady of Silence."

That is a Face name.

It's not a Heel name.

But she was quite tough.

Maybe when you learn
that she's The Lady of Silence

it's because she was keeping a secret.

Strangely enough, when she quit wrestling
due to a back injury…

She used to lift 100-kilogram weights.

When she quit wrestling,
she started k*lling.

So, I think she unloaded
a large part of her frustrations

that came from that awful early childhood

through wrestling.

I think she always dreamed
of becoming a wrestler.

But she was never a wrestler.

She never set foot in a ring.

I asked several wrestlers,

"Did you ever fight against
The Lady of Silence?"

"No, never."

She liked being
in the wrestling environment.

She had her own costume made,
but she wasn't a wrestler.

Anybody can have
wrestling gear custom-made.

And anybody can buy a championship.

Come on, Lady!

Come on, Lady!

Come on!

The Lady of Silence never existed.

The Lady of Silence could spend
the rest of her life behind bars

because she was charged this afternoon

with at least 11 homicides.

These are horrible crimes
that have shaken us.

When I was writing
about the Juana Barraza case,

I realized that she gave
the media and the police

the perfect sensationalist story.

portraying Juana Barraza
as a psychopath

because of her muscular body,

which is always described this way
because she is stocky,

because of her love of wrestling

as The Lady of Silence,

and not so much
because of the crimes she committed.

Her criminality was described
as something she was born with,

something innate.

It has been proven that criminality

is not apparent on someone's face.

Therefore,
judging somebody by their looks,

by their gaze, by their features,

ends up being very dangerous criteria

as a basis on which to build
a criminal's profile.

On the day…

I had to go to courthouse 67
in Santa Martha,

I was a meter and a half away
from a glass window.

She was behind that window.

And she seemed bigger

than the way she was described
as a big, stocky person.

Well…

A very hefty, very strong person

with a strong personality.

She seems like a mother… Sorry.

Like this.

And on top of what she did to me,

she took away my mom,
my grandma, my Mane,

she told me,
"Yes, but you left her alone."

I couldn't take it anymore.

I had just been to the restroom.
I went outside to throw up.

I knew she wouldn't do anything to me,

but she did.

The hearing
was canceled that day because…

I couldn't do it.

I didn't feel any hatred.

Honestly. I didn't feel any hatred
because I've asked God

to help me let go of that part of me.

I just blurted, "May God forgive you."

"Really, may God forgive you."

And she stared at me, surprised.

And I just remember she said,

"Do you know who my God is?"

I said, "I don't."

And she took out a card of the Holy Death.

She said, "This is my God
and she protects me."

I said, "That's great!"

"I'm glad she protects you."

And I don't know why I told her,

"You haven't hurt me."

"But you've hurt your children the most."

And she turned around and left.

The accused, Juana Barraza Samperio,

was given a sentence

of 759 years and 17 days of prison.

I don't agree.

I don't agree with anything.

At the courthouse,
behind the cubicle for the defendants,

the names of all the persons

that she allegedly k*lled are being read.

She was very calm.

The names were being read,
and I remember that she said,

"Add some more, come on."

"Seeing as I'm your patsy. Who cares?
Add some more."

Juana Barraza Samperio,
also known as the "Mataviejitas,"

was sentenced to 759 years in prison.

…for the m*rder of 17 women

and 12 more charges for burglary.

The so-called "Lady of Silence"
says she'll appeal the verdict.

That sentence

was part of the sense of justice

that the government
wanted to give to the people.

It's a political sentence.

It's a medieval sentence

because its goal
is to have an impact on public opinion,

not to be an effective sentence.

Women who k*ll in Mexico
and in the rest of the world

consistently get the longest sentences,

because they aren't punished
for what they did,

but because they are thought
to be evil by nature.

And that sentence, at the same time,

serves as a warning for other women.

Araceli Vázquez,
one of the alleged "Mataviejitas"

has been in prison for 19 years,

with no homicides proven against her.

Some years after my arrest,
I was in prison

when my fellow inmates told me,

"The 'Mataviejitos' was just detained."

I was shocked and said,
"Why? Didn't they say it was me?"

I always stole things,

but it had nothing to do
with that situation.

And she was found
in possession of some objects

or belongings
of people who had been robbed.

And they claimed,

"She is the "Mataviejitos."
Araceli is the k*ller."

And they booked me at a press conference
with more than 70 news outlets.

She was introduced wearing a wig.

Who knows which of those crazy minds

in the investigation police unit

came up with the idea of the wig.

They said, "Make her wear this
to make it more appealing, okay?"

And they were going crazy
at the press conference.

They decided

to create a soap opera.

Prosecutor Zayas said,

"Araceli will get away with the robberies,
so add the homicides."

"It's 42 years."

"No, you can't do this.
I didn't k*ll anyone."

I kept saying that I hadn't k*lled anyone.

"No, it's her. Record it, get her ready.
She's going straight to prison."

"I'M A THIEF, NOT A m*rder*r"

SHE DENIES HAVING k*lled GRANDMAS

SHE CLAIMS SHE'S INNOCENT

The witness said, "It's not her."

"The person I saw was tall,
with short hair and broad back."

"Fair skin."

"This lady has dark skin."

"She's short."

"These people were looking
for someone tall,

with big hands."

"And that's not her."

Did Araceli Vázquez
match the suspect's profile?

No, not 100%.

Let's say not 100%,

but our duty was

to investigate all the evidence we had.

They had me
at the Reclusorio Oriente prison,

and three or four people
were being m*rder*d every day.

So, I'd run up
to the warden's office and say,

"More have been k*lled."

"It's not me!"

At the beginning, Araceli Vázquez
was linked to several cases.

Among them,
the m*rder of Mrs. Gloria Rizo.

The evidence
is that they allegedly found some jewelry

that Araceli stole from Mrs. Gloria.

Araceli said, "My fingerprints
are not at any of the crime scenes."

"My fingerprints don't match

the murders that we would later learn
were committed by someone else."

When Juana Barraza was captured,

they just said, "The fingerprint matches
the one on the glass that you brought us."

They told me.
They even gave me an official letter.

That she was solely guilty

of her homicide,
and the homicide of many others.

They never mentioned Araceli Vázquez again

and they never said,
"We'll release her…" No.

So, nothing. I wasn't in touch with her
or anybody else.

I assumed
that if they found the other woman,

then Araceli would be released right away.

That did not happen.

Later on, the investigation results showed

that she wasn't the person
we were looking for.

A faulty case.

Not really, because she's still
serving a prison sentence.

Perhaps on other charges.
I can't remember.

-You don't remember Araceli?
-Was that a Homicide Prosecutor's case?

No, I honestly don't remember that case.

Araceli has served her sentence
of 17 years and nine months for burglary.

And now she's serving a sentence
of 23 additional years

for the m*rder of Margarita Aceves
in the Cuitlahuac residential unit.

Reading the file, there's no evidence
that links her to this homicide,

the fingerprints don't match,

or the physical appearance
described by witnesses.

In fact, no witness ever
picked her out of a lineup.

I just want to clarify

that I did not k*ll those people.

And the evidence is there.

I've kept silent for 18 years.

If there's a judicial error,
it needs to be remedied.

The current District Attorney's Office
would be responsible for that.

And also the judiciary.

If it turns…

If it turns out to be a judicial error,
there are mechanisms in place to solve it.

It's very unfortunate.

But one of the awful things
about investigations

is that errors are made,
and they should be acknowledged

and we should be able to remedy them.

It's not always done

for political or media purposes.

But one should be able to acknowledge
that an error was made.

It makes you think,
if there isn't enough evidence

to prove that a person is guilty,

why is that person
processed and sentenced?

They said that Mario Tablas

was linked to four murders.

Then seven, then nine.

And apparently, he didn't do them.

Just like Araceli, he said,
"My fingerprints were not there."

We read in the official report

that one of the homicide cases

for which Mario
had actually been sentenced

actually matched

Juana Barraza's fingerprints
at the crime scene.

When we asked him

why the prosecutors filed
those m*rder charges,

he said,

"They fabricated guilty people."

Mario Tablas was sentenced
to almost 70 years in prison

for the m*rder of two old ladies.

The last I heard
was that he died in prison

and he always claimed he was innocent.

and without ever being released,

There's no perfect crime,

but there are imperfect investigations.

So those issues must be fixed,

because they contribute to impunity.

Juana Barraza
is at the Santa Martha Acatitla prison

serving her sentence
for k*lling 16 old ladies

and robbing 12 more.

Due to her good behavior,
she's been given

permission to cook
on Tuesdays and sell her food,

and therefore have an income in prison.

We know that she got married in 2015

and later got divorced.

I decided to get in touch with Juana.

I approached her very cautiously.

I said, "How are you?
I am Claudia Bolaños,

a reporter from El Universal."

And she said, "I don't give interviews."

"If I give one, I'll charge 10,000 pesos."

I went to Santa Martha to see her.

I was shocked to see…

it wasn't exactly respect,
but more like fear from the guards.

They would make room for her and say,

"Mrs. Juana, how are you?"

"Ma'am, go ahead."

She's become kind of a celebrity.

Or she is a celebrity that has

a certain social status in prison.

I think about how people,

when they hear the term "Mataviejitas"
these days…

possibly think of a legend or myth.

And that, just like any legend,

it feeds off truths

and lies,

and the police like to tell stories.

The media also likes a good narrative.

A story… with many elements.

And also the people, the society in Mexico

actually loves being told stories.

THE "MATAVIEJITAS"

CLOSE m*rder*r

TOUGH AT HEART

THE "MATAVIEJITAS"

CLOSE m*rder*r

16 OLD LADIES

Professional wrestler

She calls herself "The Lady of Silence"

Nobody is suspicious, nobody can imagine

This k*ller could be your neighbor

The first serial k*ller, and it's a woman.

And it happens in Mexico City,
with old ladies.

Of course it was a high-profile case.

It was so high-profile,
that you're interviewing me right now,

20 years later.

To sell more.

That's why it becomes high-profile.

Songs, corridos and cumbias
were written about her.

She's the "Mataviejitas"

The "Mataviejitas"

The "Mataviejitas"

She's a serial k*ller

A criminal was turned into a celebrity.

So she was the "Mataviejitas,"
and the wrestler, and…

So many things. I think,

"What about the victims?"

Victim one, victim two, victim three.

There's a m*rder and they talk more
about how they k*lled,

how they did it, what they stole from her,

instead of talking

about who the m*rder*d person was.

They are forgotten,
but not by their families.

They're still there,

possibly demanding justice
years after the fact.

And I think that they also deserve

that the investigations continue,
that justice is served.

The victim

is a loser

in the duel for life.

Awful, right?

After each person's m*rder…

there is great pain.

And people

aren't aware that they leave…

That they leave behind holes
in the lives of people.

Juana Barraza,
also known as "Mataviejitas"

will spend the rest of her life
behind bars.

The police recorded
49 cases of elderly women

that were strangled
with the same modus operandi

between 1998 and 2006.

Juana Barraza
was only charged with 17 homicides,

but 32 murders remain
unsolved to this day.

It's 8:04.

THE VICTIMS
1998 - 1999 - 2001 - 2002

THE VICTIMS

THE VICTIMS

THE VICTIMS
2005 - 2006