Mexico’s ‘little old lady killer’

Mexico’s ‘little old lady killer’

Author: BBC World Service July 20, 2026 Duration: 10:51

In March 2008, former female wrestler Juana Barraza was found guilty of murdering at least 11 elderly women in Mexico City.

The murders took place over a period of seven years, and Barraza became known as the “little old lady killer”.

She admitted to murdering three women and told investigators it was because of abuse she suffered in childhood at the hands of her alcoholic mother.

In 2021, Mike Lanchin spoke to the neuropsychologist Dr Feggy Ostrosky, who interviewed Barraza in jail, about the disturbing story.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: Barraza being presented to the media following her arrest in 2005. Credit: Reuters/Danil Aguilar)


Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most...
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Witness History
Podcast Episodes
Firefighter: Surviving the 9/11 North Tower collapse [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:27
On 11 September 2001, firefighter Jay Jonas and his crew were sent into New York's North Tower after a hijacked plane crashed into the World Trade Center.As they climbed the stairs searching for people who needed help, t…
The weather report that changed the date of D-Day [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:48
In 1944, a young Irishwoman called Maureen Flavin drew up a weather report that helped change the course of World War Two.Maureen was working at a post office on the far west coast of Ireland. Her duties included recordi…
Bayeux Tapestry: the lost Nazi archive [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:40
In 1994, documents from a Nazi study of the Bayeux Tapestry were rediscovered after more than 50 years. Former curator of the tapestry, Sylvette Lemagnen, tells Helen Ledwick how the missing archive was found and returne…
The 'moving' statue of Ballinspittle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:41
In 1985, reports of a moving statue of the Virgin Mary drew thousands of people to the village of Ballinspittle in County Cork, Ireland. Helen Ledwick speaks to Ita Dungan, who travelled there as a teenager and remembers…
Surviving the Long March [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:45
In 1935, tens of thousands who had followed Mao Zedong on the Long March across China struggled to survive. They were fleeing Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist forces during the country's civil war.Zhong Ming was one of them…
Star Trek: America's first interracial TV kiss [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:47
In 1968, American television boldly went where it had never gone before, broadcasting what's claimed to be the country's first interracial kiss in a TV programme. The moment of passion was between Captain Kirk of the sta…
The making of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:12
In 1982, audiences around the world fell in love with a gentle alien stranded on Earth and the young boy determined to help him get home. Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial became a global phenomenon and gave…
‘Genius’ sci-fi writer Octavia E Butler [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:41
In 1995, Octavia E Butler became the first author to receive a MacArthur “genius” award for science fiction writing.From a young age she dreamed of writing books, but faced many challenges, including poverty, sexism and…
Making Turkish Star Wars [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:20
When the set fell apart for an ambitious cinematic space opera that was produced on a characteristically small Turkish budget, nationally famed director Çetin İnanç had to think fast to save his film. What resulted was a…
How the Star Wars toys were created [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:32
In 1976, American toy designer Jim Swearingen was working at Kenner, a mid-sized company in the American Midwest.When a script for a new film called Star Wars landed on his desk, Jim was intrigued. Larger toy companies h…