Mexico's Juana Barraza receives 759‑year prison term

In 2008 a Mexican court sentenced Juana Barraza Samperio, known as “La Mataviejitas” and formerly a lucha libre performer called “The Lady of Silence”, to 759 years in prison – the longest sentence in the nation's history. The verdict covered the murders and robberies of roughly 40 elderly women she targeted across Mexico.

Prosecutors and investigators tied the killings to Barraza’s traumatic upbringing, which involved abandonment, severe abuse and exploitation by family members. She testified that hatred toward older women stemmed from this childhood trauma, providing a motive for the series of attacks.