Esneda Ruiz Cataño (born 1968), known as The Predator and The Black Widow, is a Colombian serial killer.[1][2] She collected millions of financial proceeds through life insurances of her husbands.[3]

Esneda Ruiz Cataño
Born1968 (age 55–56)
Other names"The Predator"
"The Black Widow"
Conviction(s)Murder
Details
Victims3
Span of crimes
2001–2010
CountryColombia
State(s)Antioquia
Date apprehended
2012
Imprisoned atEl Pedregal Prison

According to the authorities, Cataño could have received about 150,000,000 pesos.[2][1] She was arrested in the municipality of Ebéjico and is serving her sentence in a prison for women.[4]

Biography

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Esneda Ruiz Cataño was born in Dabeiba, in the Antioquia Department.[5] According to the investigating Colombian authorities, the murders occurred between 2001 and 2010, all against her husbands, with Cataño acquiring their life insurance after.[5] The first victim was identified as Juan Pablo Aristizábal Gutiérrez, who was killed on June 16, 2001, in a village called El Tablazo, in the municipality of Rionegro, dating on Father's Day.[6] Cataño was investigated for the murder, but was released, so she returned to Medellín to get the insurance. The second person killed was José Valencia Guzmán, which occurred in 2006 in the commune of Aranjuez, on Valentine's Day.[6] He was killed near a pool, after Cataño stabbed him in the neck. The authorities again conducted an investigation, but nobody was arrested.[5] The third and last victim was Miguel Ángel Beleño Mejía, who died in 2010 of a stab in the neck, acquiring a life insurance of 80 million pesos.[5]

Capture

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Cataño was issued an arrest warrant for the three murders. The police sought her for 2 years, when she was finally detained in Ebéjico, where she lived. She was tried and convicted for aggravated homicide.[7]

She is currently being held in El Pedregal Prison in Medellín.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Cayó en Antioquia la ‘viuda negra’: mató a 3 esposos para cobrar el seguro Radio Santa Fe. Consultado el 9 de mayo de 2019.
  2. ^ a b “La Depredadora” asesinó a tres esposos en Colombia El Diario La Prensa. Consultado el 9 de mayo de 2019.
  3. ^ Capturada mujer acusada de asesinar a sus esposos para cobrar millonarios seguros de vida RCN Radio. Consultado el 9 de mayo de 2019.
  4. ^ Lee Moran (31 de enero de 2013). Colombian woman called ‘The Predator’ killed three husbands for their life insurance money: police New York Daily News. Consultado el 9 de mayo de 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d Así cayó la viuda asesina de Antioquia Semana. Consultado el 9 de mayo de 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Capturada mujer que asesinó a tres de sus compañeros sentimentales" [Woman who murdered three of her partners arrested]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 30 January 2013. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b Mujer mató a sus tres esposos para cobrar el seguro de vida El Colombiano. Consultado el 9 de mayo de 2019.