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SPEAKER_00: Hey, it's Jenny. We're currently gearing up for a brand new season of Womanica. Until then, we're bringing you our favorite episodes featuring villains, troublemakers, magic, and mystery in honor of October. Now onto the episode.
SPEAKER_02: Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Brittany Martinez, a producer here at WMN, and I'm here to introduce this best of episode of Womanica. This episode was originally part of our August 2019 theme, Villainesses. Today's villainess is known by many names. The death house landlady, the black widow of Sacramento, and the grandma serial killer. While she was still at large, she was simply known as a sweet, community-loving old woman. When she was caught, it became clear she spent much of her life lying and stealing before murdering victims for their money. I love that this episode proves the old adage, it's always the people you don't expect. Now here's host Jenny Caplan to talk about Dorothea Puente.
SPEAKER_00: Dorothea Helen Gray was born in 1929 in Redlands, California. She was the second youngest of her seven siblings. Her family was poor and struggled even more when Dorothea's father died of tuberculosis when she was just eight years old. The following year, Dorothea and her siblings were removed from their mother's custody because their mother was an alcoholic. Dorothea's childhood was then spent living with different relatives and foster families. When she joined the family, she was a young girl who had been living with foster families. When she turned 16, she moved to Olympia, Washington and worked as a prostitute. A few years later, she met and married her first husband. The pair moved to Nevada, where Dorothea had two kids in two years, but she quickly decided that that life wasn't for her. In 1948, she put both children up for adoption and divorced her husband. She moved to San Bernardino, California, spent a few months in jail for falsifying a check, and got remarried. Dorothea and her second husband moved together to Sacramento. Her second pass at married life was tumultuous, thanks in no small part to her cheating, drinking and gambling. And she got divorced again in 1966. In 1968, she met and married Roberto Puente, her third and final husband. They too separated in 1969. That same year, she opened her first boarding house. Dorothea's boarding house earned her a place of respect in the community. She housed alcoholics and drug addicts who no one else would. She gained a rapport with social workers for helping with such cases, and further bolstered her reputation by donating money to local political campaigns and charities. She met multiple California governors, including Ronald Reagan, and she claimed she met Vice President Spiro Agnew and Clint Eastwood. But underneath its altruistic facade, Dorothea's first boarding house was a much darker place. She stole her tenants' benefits checks by forging their signatures. In 1978, she got caught, was sentenced to five years of federal probation, and was banned from owning a boarding house moving forward. In 1982, Dorothea's business partner and roommate, Ruth Monroe, mysteriously died from an overdose of codeine and Tylenol. Dorothea claimed that Ruth was depressed, and authorities officially ruled the death a suicide. But Ruth's family disagreed and suspected that Dorothea was responsible. Unable to own a boarding house, Dorothea worked as an in-home caregiver. She drugged multiple clients and stole money and valuables from their homes. She got caught once again and wound up in prison. Her sentence was originally five years, but it was reduced to three for good behavior. That's despite the fact that a state psychologist warned that Dorothea was dangerous and unapologetic. When she got out in 1985, Dorothea moved in with 77-year-old Everson Gilmoth, a pen pal from her time in prison. In November, Dorothea hired a handyman to build her a coffin-sized box. Two months later, a fisherman recovered that box from a nearby river. Inside, police discovered a decomposing body. Three years later, it was identified as Everson Gilmoth. In the meantime, Dorothea impersonated Everson in letters to his family and collected his pension. The following year, Dorothea opened her second boarding house. Again, Dorothea read tenants' mail and stole their Social Security checks. In 1988, one of Dorothea's tenants, Alvaro Montoya, disappeared. When Alvaro's social worker reported him missing, police visited Dorothea to question her. They found disturbed soil in the backyard and discovered seven buried bodies.
SPEAKER_01: It happened around 10 o'clock this morning when Sacramento police went to a house at 1426 F Street. They were responding to numerous tips, which led them to believe a human body was buried in the backyard of the house. It turns out the tips were right.
SPEAKER_06: Neighbors of the F Street house described Dorothea Puente as an eccentric but caring person.
SPEAKER_03: She's a very good person. She's nice to everyone.
SPEAKER_00: While Dorothea wasn't initially a suspect, she fled to Los Angeles, rousing suspicion.
SPEAKER_06: Dorothea, I know if we dig, we're gonna find more. I realize that. I'm a little lady.
SPEAKER_01: I have never killed anybody in my life. Then who did kill somebody, Mr. McCall?
SPEAKER_00: She was eventually charged for nine deaths, including the deaths of Ruth Monroe and Everson Gilmoth. She was found guilty for three of the murders and received two life sentences for her crimes. Dorothea maintained her claims of innocence until she died in prison in 2011. She was 82 years old. Dorothea Puente's meek, motherly demeanor masked her horrific penchant for crime. When her actions came to light, it astounded the nation.
SPEAKER_00: All month, we're bringing you the best of villainy, magic, and mystery. Tune in tomorrow for another of our favorite episodes. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow.
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