The Chilling Story of the ‘Little Old Lady Killer’ of Mexico City
Troubling Beginnings — Abuse, Assault, and Betrayal
The early account of one of Mexico’s most prolific serial killers differs per who you ask — but the general details are the same. Juana Dayanara Barraza Samperio was born in Hidalgo, Mexico, in 1957. Her father was a police officer and her mother was an alcoholic prostitute. Justa Barraza, her mother, would do anything to get her addiction satisfied — including pimp out her own daughter.
Juana didn’t ever get to know her real father and regarded Refugio Samperio, with who her mother had started an adulterous relationship with, as a parent figure. Barraza’s story of horrors is recounted by many — as young as 12, she was sold (reportedly for 3 beers) to a man called Lugo, who was violently abusive.
Pregnant twice — as young as 13 and 16 — Barazza suffered two miscarriages. When the mother she hated died of cirrhosis, Barraza left for Mexico. All the marriages Barraza was in failed, and she lost several of children — her oldest son to shooting and a younger one was beaten to death.
The Lady of Silence and her Crime Spree
Barraza couldn’t read or write, and so toured around Mexico City in the 80s-90s with a professional career…
