Cooking what I want. In Olympia, Washington, she tried to make a living as a prostitute. More than 130 witnesses were called to the stand by the prosecution, and eventually the devilish landlady was convicted for three of the murderers and ordered to serve back-to-back life sentences. For the rest of her life, she maintained her innocence, insisting that all of her boarders had died of "natural causes". Her memories, I come to understand, blend rote recitation of illusory events with blatant omission of her crimes. Its like she was watching a movie she wasnt particularly interested in., Jury deliberations commenced in July 1993 and soon stalled. Again and again, it is not her. Soon afterward, Chief disappeared. She was tough. Then there was the riddle of Puente. It was too humiliating, too shameful for her to admit responsibility for these crimes. His head cocked to the side, he looks back at her, preparing to usher her past the crowd that looms outside the frame. His eyes popped wide. Six more corpses would follow, but Puente was still on the run. My question about the incident draws an explanation akin to the one Puente gave a county judge nearly a half century earlier: I was there visiting a friend when the cops came. She refuses to elaborate. Not yet considering the sweet lady to be a suspect, the officers obliged at the 59-year-old's request to go down the street to buy a cup of coffee - but she had no intention of returning. George Deukmejian (second from left) in this undated photo. Eleven jurors were convinced of Puentes guilt in killing the seven boarders found in her yard; one juror disagreed. Unbeknownst to Puente, the pensioner recognized her as the woman he saw on television news reports. Slight and demure, with her ivory-white hair and solicitous demeanor, the landlady resembled any other elderly woman with a kitchen full of pots and pans and a cat calendar hanging next to the stove. She asked Florez to build a 6-by-3-by-2-foot box to store "books and other items". I now see them as tokens of loneliness, trifles to mark the time. On the other hand, when these people, as could be expected, would act upat that point, she snapped and decided to kill them., The Puente trial dragged on for five months, with more than 150 witnesses, thousands of pieces of evidence and unrelenting media scrutiny. Ballenger began to suspect Puente of more nefarious behavior after learning that two elderly women in her care had suffered recurring spells of illness that baffled doctors. Cooking what I want. What he did know was that her public image as a shepherd of the dispossessed veiled the past of an ex-con who preyed on the weak. I had such a sick feeling, he says. She gasped at sight of the remains, hands bracketing her cheeks. Back in Sacramento, police were digging up five more bodies, including Bert Montoyas. Its the same thing. 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[6], In 1968, Gray married Roberto Jose Puente. Beneath the rooms ashen lighting stand neat rows of small round tables, some 50 in all. Dalmane, which is a drug used for insomnia, was found in all seven of the exhumed bodies. She got life for being with a guy when he killed another guy, Puente says. I know her only through the words of others. 'Executing Puente would be like executing your grandmother', one juror is reported to have said in response to the death sentence looming over the defendant at the time. Yet for all the local, national and international coverage of the bizarre case in ensuing years, the public heard virtually nothing from its main character. Beneath a black and white mug shot of Puente wearing a polka dot dress and round glasses, the bulletin reads, The above suspect wanted for murder after several bodys (sic) found buried in her backyard. I ask why the cops targeted her. [4], Gray's first marriage at age sixteen, in 1945, was to a soldier named Fred McFaul, who had just returned from the Pacific theater of World War II. Sometimes she includes small handmade gifts: Christmas ornaments constructed from cardboard and yarn, a greeting card stitched with fine thread. Two decades after he yanked the leg bone from the ground behind the boardinghouse, his dark hair has shaded silver and he has shaved off his boomerang-curved mustache. But 26 years after her conviction - and seven years after her death - a man who claims to Puente's grandson, William Harder, has stepped forward to reaffirm his grandmother's claim that she wasn't always bad. (To the question of which verse most resonates with her, she shrugs and replies, All of em.) She then quietly gathers the clothing of her slumbering roomies to wash later in the morning, when prisoners are allowed out of their cells. But police tracked her down in Los Angeles after a man in a bar recognized her from TV. She changed her public image to that of a respectable older matron by putting on vintage clothing, wearing large granny glasses, and letting her hair turn gray. Her body shapeless under a long-sleeve T-shirt and dungarees, she has pulled back her snowy plume of hair with a pink scrunchie. The business supplied her with steady revenuesteady and, apparently, inadequate. But looks can be ext A prison official describes her as very low-key, very quiet. If discreet, however, Puente, who stands 5-foot-3, bears an outsized notoriety. Inmates enter one at a time at irregular intervals through a gray metal door along the rear wall. Her rapid decline perplexed her loved ones until they read the coroners report: the death was labeled a suicide caused by an overdose of codeine and acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. He neither explained his motive for capitulating nor discussed why he agreed to convict her of only three killings. After what was then the longest deliberation in a murder case in state history24 daysthe jury convicted her of three killings. 22 ratings3 reviews. Tom Williams and Barbara Holmes are the new landlords of the "haunted" house. On subjects unrelated to her misdeeds, she will open up, weaving anecdotes that are sometimes embroidered, sometimes made from whole cloth. cold and calculating female killers the country had ever seen., serial killer known as the Angel of Death, Aileen Wuornos, historys most terrifying female serial killer. I scan the room out of empty impulse, certain I havent missed her. Julio Santana dropped to his left knee and propped his right elbow on his . The hospitalization occurred a year after Sacramento police busted Dorothea in a raid on a residential house of ill fame on Fulton Avenue that had fronted as a bookkeeping service, according to court records. So when I wrote to Puente last summer, nearly 20 years after the discovery of her victims, I had little expectation she would respond, let alone agree to talk. In the narrative of her life that unfurled at her murder trial and in news reports and books about the case, she grew up poor, deprived in equal measure of material comforts and parental nurturing. He escorted her out of the propertys wrought-iron front gate, a moment captured in a photo lying on the conference table. Some touch her shoulder. She parlayed its success by pumping money into political campaigns and charitable causes, contributions that bought her the appearance of legitimacy and access to elite circles. She was notoriously known as the "Death House Land Lady" after committing nine murders. She wants me to buy dozens of food and beauty care items for her from a prison-approved vendor that will mail the goods to her. Some months earlier, another tenant, a longtime alcoholic on a bender, had vanished after Puente went to his room to make him feel better. The acrid stench of rotting flesh soon spread through the home and beyond, an odor she blamed on sewer problems and that drew complaints from neighbors. Thats just too much coincidence., Finally, on the 24th day of deliberations, the holdout juror acquiesced, voting guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and one second-degree count. Clymo concluded his closing argument by showing a picture commonly used in psychology that can be viewed in different ways and saying "Keep in mind things are not always as they seem." So after that, I was out in New York on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and then Id come back to California the rest of the week. Known at the time as Dorothea McFaul, the last name of her first husband, whom she had recently divorced, she performed on stage as Sharon Neyaarda. In her note, written on plain lined paper in a grade-schoolers swirling cursive, she invited me to visit. Some of the remains were in a mummified state - bound in bed sheets, cloth and duct tape (above), Puente would lure her victims to their deaths by baking them cake laced with sleeping pills. Several were referred there by social workers who viewed the home as a last-resort refuge for their ailing or most erratic clients. Montoya struggled with mental health issues and had been homeless for years. She falls silent for a moment. Then learn about Aileen Wuornos, historys most terrifying female serial killer. They had a turbulent marriage; Gray took advantage of Johansson's frequent trips to sea by inviting men to their home and gambling away his money. A person like her, he says, theres no forgetting.. The comments below have not been moderated. I dont know what to tell you, she said. But no one noticed. Puente's crimes were featured on the Netflix show . With a smile, I ask whether she and the actor shared a romantic attraction. Police later accused Puente of lacing food or drinks she served her victims with a lethal mix of prescription drugs, poisoning them to collect their Social Security checks, a scheme that netted more than $5,000 a month. Dick Schmidt/Sacramento Bee/Tribune News Service via Getty ImagesDorothea Puente after her arrest in Los Angeles, en route back to Sacramento. Still, prison has changed Puente in one profound aspect, reforming her into an obedient citizen. Sir, she said, I have not killed anybody. She explained that she had buried excess trash in the backyard holes that a tenant mentioned to police, and covered some of them with concrete to stunt weed growth. "Which is gross," Hayden said. Then you will understand why these people believe Dorothea's life is worth saving. She gave them clothing, she gave them food. In June 2020, the house was featured in a ten-minute documentary with 60 Second Docs about the purchase and renovation of the house by the current owners. Newspapers dubbed Puente the "Death House Landlady". Dorothea Puente ran a boarding house for down and outs. After Puente was released from her first spell in prison for three counts. She was released just three years later, although a state psychologist diagnosed her as a schizophrenic with no remorse or regret who should be closely monitored.. (Courtesy of The Sacramento Archives), Dorfman drew up Puentes will years agoI dont know if its any good anymore; shes probably given away stuff she doesnt [even] ownand still receives Christmas cards from her. The next day, under suspicion but not yet under arrest, Puente, then 59 and ostensibly the essence of grandmotherly virtue, fled the city. A nonfiction book, "The Bone Garden" (1994), is the definitive account of serial killer Dorothea Puente, who was the subject of a nationwide hunt after nine bodies were dug up from her Sacramento, California yard. Inside Dorothea Puente's Tragic Childhood. She also suffered a miscarriage. A pair of Christmas ornaments made by Puente in prison. She recalls the future president and his first wife, Jane Wyman, as her good friends. When I mention the Gippers second wife, she frowns. How many other boardinghouses have one person die? Cabrera, lead detective on the Puente case, stands with the shovel that she lent to law officers to dig in her backyard on Nov. 11, 1988. [1] Sua contagem total chegou a nove assassinatos confirmados e seis no . She pled guilty to two counts of forgery, serving four months in jail and three years' probation. That is the question. But before the cop left, Sharp managed to slip him a hand-written note that read, Shes making me lie for her. He later divulged unsettling details about life at the house. Now, as I sit at table No. (Photo by Jeremy Sykes). Her shoulders shake as she laughs, her open mouth exposing a white flash of dentures. Later that year, Dorothea moved to San Bernardino and picked up her first criminal conviction after trying to float a check under a false name. [17] The result was Cooking with a Serial Killer (2004),[18] which included a lengthy interview, almost fifty recipes, and various pieces of prison art sent to Bugbee by the convicted murderer. I was on stage when the girl next to me broke her heel and bumped into me. 31 of the Royal Viking. At the time, she was serving two life sentences and a concurrent 15-year-to-life sentence. In the 70s, while running her first boardinghouse at 21st and F streets, Puente cultivated a strong rapport with social workers. It is a wistfulness that lays bare the depth of chaos that defined Puentes status quo long before they married in 1952. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Puente drugged three women with tranquilizers to steal checks, money and valuables from their homes in the early 80s, as recounted in court records. How did I know where they were? Absolving herself, Puente fingers McCauley and another former tenant as the possible murder suspects. The only time they were in good health was when they stayed at my home. During a brief in-flight interview with reporter Mike Boyd, she said, I have not killed anyone. Under the law, Puente received life without the possibility of parole. She marks much of the day reading mind-candy fictionshes a fan of John Grisham and Dan Brownand watching TV; her favorite prime-time shows include CSI, Criminal Minds and Cold Case. As most serial killers, Dorothea had a rough childhood. I have also done this: Late at night, when it is said her deeds turned darkest, I have pondered the vastness of human nature as I stood outside the tiny yard where she buried her victims. As the trial neared, Vicary found her in an agitated, paranoid state. I dont feel like confessing my sins to anyone, she says sharply. I pass through the check-in station, a process that requires visitors to pull pants pockets inside-out, remove their shoes and lift their stocking feet for inspection by guards. A year later her mother died in a motorcycle accident. I wondered if she maintained her innocence or felt bowed by remorse. The guards will come by and go, What you got cooking today? , She marks much of the day reading mind-candy fictionshes a fan of John Grisham and Dan Brownand watching TV; her favorite prime-time shows include CSI, Criminal Minds and Cold Case. The couple, Barbara Holmes and Tom Williams, renovated the . She had a terrible adolescence after being . [citation needed], Granting a change of venue motion filed by Puente's lawyers, Kevin Clymo and Peter Vlautin III, a judge transferred the trial to Monterey County. Eventually, the "Death House Landlady" would then drug her tenants to the point of rendering them incapacitated. Why would I waste all my time to get these people cleaned up, make sure they have no diseases, get all their affairs in order if I was going to kill them?. During her trial, the persecution said. A state psychologist who evaluated Puente before her release from prison in 1985 diagnosed her as schizophrenic. She inflated her age by 10 to 15 years to further disarm her elderly clients, whom she set about exploiting under the guise of ministering to them. Her escape intensified interest in a lurid tale that for a time made Sacramento the center of the media universe. When the police arrived, Puente told them that Monroe had been depressed due to her husbands terminal illness. I made them change their clothes every day, take a bath every day and eat three meals a day When they came to me, they were so sick, they werent expected to live.. Hes not a flirt.. In 1961, Johansson had Gray briefly committed to DeWitt State Hospital after a binge of drinking, lying, criminal behavior, and suicide attempts. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Ukrainian soldier takes out five tanks with Javelin missiles, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Hershey's Canada releases HER for SHE bars featuring a trans activist, Moment teenager crashes into back of lorry after 100mph police race, This Guy Collects Artwork From Serial Killers - VICE. In 16 years at the facility, she has accrued only two rules violations, the last occurring in 2004. Granddaughter Of Dorothea Puente Victim Visits Boarding House Exclusive Granddaughter Of Dorothea Puente Victim Visits Boarding House Dorothy Miller was eventually found buried in the yard of Dorothea Puente's boarding house. Her eyes would fill with tears, but she would never admit it, he says. She was the sixth of seven children but didn't grow up in a stable family environment. It occurs to me that if I were unaware of her past and talking with her outside of prison, she could come across as the little old lady next door. I wonder what its like to be known as a murderer. Witnesses, including her long-lost daughter, testified how Puente had helped them in their youth and guided them to successful careers. John OMara, the prosecutor, called over 130 witnesses to the stand. She married Roberto Puente in 1968, but the relationship dissolved sixteen months later. The jury deliberated over a month and eventually found Puente guilty of three murders. This page was last edited on 18 February 2023, at 18:08. Dorothea Puente was a convicted serial killer who ran a boarding house in Sacramento, California in the 1980s. Puente was supposed to stick around to serve out her probation, but in a sign of things to come she skipped town instead.