Pod Insights Serial Killers & Murderous Minds MURDEROUS MINDS: The Cocaine Godmother Pt. 2 About this episode With her drug empire expanding, Griselda Blanco wasn’t just feared, she was untouchable...or so she thought. In Part 2, we follow the "Cocaine Godmother’s" ruthless reign in Miami: the body count, the betrayals, and the drug-fueled paranoia that pushed her to the brink.
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Transcript Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
0:01 Vanessa Richardson? Hi, everyone. Before today's episode, there's another show I want to tell you about. It's called What the Fact with Connor Tomlinson from Netflix's Love on the Spectrum and Carter Roy. Every week, they take three unbelievable true facts from history and tell you the full story behind them. Plus, Connor's infectious energy that'll make you realize history is the most fascinating thing on earth. Follow What the Fact wherever you listen, or subscribe on YouTube at What the Fact Pod.
0:36 Speaker 01 This is Crime House.
0:41 Vanessa Richardson? We all know that quitting a bad habit can be tough, whether it's cutting out caffeine or staying off social media. Most of us have something we know we should walk away from, but we can't. Maybe we don't know who we are without it, or maybe it just makes us feel good. Griselda Blanco understood that better than anyone, except it would take more than journaling or a productivity app to break her bad habits. In the 1970s and 80s, Griselda ran Miami's cocaine empire. As a woman playing a male-dominated game, she was making history.
1:20 Vanessa Richardson? But when she couldn't let go of her need for power, she completely self-destructed.
1:39 Vanessa Richardson? The human mind is powerful. It shapes how we think, feel, love, and hate. But sometimes it drives people to commit the unthinkable. This is Killer Minds, a Crime House original. I'm Vanessa Richardson.
1:53 Tristin Engels? And I'm Dr. Tristan Ingles. Every Monday and Thursday, we uncover the darkest minds in history, analyzing what makes a killer.
2:01 Vanessa Richardson? Crime House is made possible by you. Please rate, review, and follow Killer Minds. To enhance your listening experience with ad-free, early access to each two-part series and bonus content, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts. Before we get started, be advised this episode contains descriptions of violence and drug use. Listener discretion is advised. Today, we conclude our deep dive on Griselda Blanco, the most powerful and feared female drug lord to ever live. Griselda wasn't just ruthless, she was strategic, sadistic, and left a trail of bodies wherever she went.
2:42 Tristin Engels? As Vanessa goes through the story, I'll be talking about things like what a drug lord's business acumen says about their cold-blooded nature, their complete lack of logic when business becomes personal, and what fuels certain acts of desperation in their downfall.
2:58 Vanessa Richardson? And as always, we'll be asking the question, what makes a killer? In the mid-1970s, Griselda Blanco was in her 30s, sitting atop the throne of Miami's cocaine empire. Griselda had built this empire from the ground up, through sheer willpower, know-how, and a readiness to kill. She'd pioneered a method of killing known as the motorcycle drive-by. Her hired assassins blazed into a crowd before taking down Griselda's target with a sawed-off shotgun, and she wasn't afraid to put out hits.
3:40 Vanessa Richardson? Soon, the city of Miami was inundated with almost as much violence as Griselda witnessed as a kid during Colombia's civil war. For the woman now known as "the godmother," bloodshed was just part of business. But she did more than kill. She had a business to run, which was hard to do because she was a federal fugitive. But Griselda had always been an innovator, and in 1976, the 33-year-old took her most drastic measures yet.
4:11 Vanessa Richardson? That year, the US was celebrating its 200th year of independence. Other countries sent gifts from around the world to commemorate the occasion. Griselda's home country, Colombia, sent a 19th-century sailing ship named "The Gloria." The ship had a planned stop in Miami on its way up to New York Harbor, likely to replenish supplies and give the crew a break. But Griselda had other ideas for it. Before The Gloria left Colombia, Griselda's suppliers stashed about six kilos of cocaine onboard. When it stopped in Miami, her crew unloaded it.
4:49 Tristin Engels? All right, this move was audacious and certainly high-risk. And from a psychological perspective, it highlights her level of confidence, arrogance, and her opportunistic mindset. By this point, her motivations were no longer purely financial. Her actions were increasingly about control, outsmarting others, and a calculated disregard for danger or consequences. Looking at the arc of her behavior from childhood until now, it seems evident that she'd begun to see herself as invincible, and that was closely tied to the power she commanded over others. Every time her hitmen carried out her orders, every time she saw compliance or fear in response to her instructions, she likely felt protected even more and untouchable.
5:33 Tristin Engels? That combination of control and perceived invincibility naturally fuels increasingly bold decisions like this. And if she pulls this off right under the government's nose, I would expect it would validate her in several ways while also emboldening her to take even greater risks in the future.
5:53 Vanessa Richardson? Griselda likely felt a huge sense of power over the federal government, and they had no idea she was even in the country. Meanwhile, everyone in the criminal underworld knew that she'd pulled the strings and that she was a force to be reckoned with. So when a rift formed between two other drug lords, Griselda found herself caught in the middle. Hermann Panesso and Carlos Ramirez both worked for Griselda. We don't know what the two men were fighting over, but it seems like it was a turf issue, which meant Griselda had to step in. But she wanted no part in the men's squabble. Rather than sit the two men down and mediate, she took more of a creative approach. On July 11, 1979,
6:37 Vanessa Richardson? 37-year-old Hermann headed to the Dade Land Mall in South Miami, a busy upscale shopping center packed with designer boutiques, salons, and restaurants. Hermann usually kept a low profile, but he was known to go there once a week, not for the luxury offerings, but to restock on booze at the Crown Liquor Store. Around 2:00 PM, Hermann walked into Crown Liquor, closely followed by his bodyguard. Once they were inside, two men hopped out of a white van parked nearby and went into the liquor store too. Once the door was shut behind them, they opened fire.
7:16 Vanessa Richardson? Hermann and his bodyguard were killed instantly. Two employees also caught stray bullets, though it's not clear if they survived. The sound of the shots rang out through the crowded shopping center. People darted into stores and took cover. As Miami police officers raced to the scene, the two shooters took off on foot. On their way out, they shot up storefronts and parked cars. Fortunately, no one else was hurt, but this final act of violence was a clear message that they should be feared. When officers arrived and went inside the liquor store, the aisles were soaked in blood and alcohol. They found Hermann's body on the ground near his bodyguard. They weren't sure who the victims were yet.
8:00 Vanessa Richardson? All they knew was that both men sustained too many bullet wounds to count. The mystery only grew when authorities went outside to check the surrounding area. They noticed the white van parked nearby and decided to get a closer look. The signage on the van said, "Happy time, complete party supply." But when officers looked inside, they didn't find streamers and balloons. Instead, there were over 20 automatic rifles and shotguns. Plus, the van had an armored plate exterior, and the interior was modified with firing holes. Despite all the weaponry, there was no clear sign of who had carried out the murders.
8:41 Vanessa Richardson? Police figured it was drug-related, but even if they identified the shooters, they would have a hard time finding the person they worked for. All the carnage left many feeling like Miami had become the Wild West. Authorities dubbed local drug lords cocaine cowboys, not only because of all the chaos, but because, in their minds, all of the drug violence was orchestrated by men, which worked in Griselda's favor. Back in Colombia, being a woman had kept her at the bottom of the food chain. But in Miami, it was the perfect way to make sure she stayed at the top. On the other hand, those in the drug world quickly learned Griselda was behind the shooting. Rumor had it, she owed Hedman money.
9:26 Vanessa Richardson? So when he and Carlos found themselves at odds, Griselda worked with Carlos to have Hedman killed. That way, she wouldn't have to pay Hedman back.
9:37 Tristin Engels? So this is pretty consistent with what we know about Griselda, and that is, relationships are transactional and/or conditional, and people are expendable to her. Her decision-making here is instrumental. She assesses threats, weighs benefits, and uses extreme measures when it serves her interest. In this context, killing Hedman was a calculated means to an end, not an emotional reaction necessarily. And this signals that her callousness and a continued detachment from the moral weight of her actions has gotten even more extreme.
10:09 Vanessa Richardson? At this point in her life, do you think violence was just a habit she couldn't break?
10:15 Tristin Engels? Yeah, at this stage in her life, it's not just a habit for Griselda. It's part of her survival toolkit and even her identity. Breaking that pattern wouldn't just be about willpower or therapy at this point. It would require a complete rewiring of how she sees the world, solves problems, and asserts control. And here's the catch. The life she's created is built on that very same pattern. If she were to suddenly abandon violence as a tool, she'd be undermining the very structures that kept her alive in a lifestyle where there really Isn't any trust and betrayal is common and danger is constant. So leaving that life safely might not necessarily be a realistic option for her at this point either.
10:57 Tristin Engels? Her power comes from the fear she instills and stepping away would make her vulnerable to everyone she crossed. Her environment and empire almost force her to continue the cycle of violence, whether she wants to or not in a lot of ways.
11:13 Vanessa Richardson? By this point, Griselda was essentially operating a well-oiled killing machine. Homicides were now a daily norm in Miami. Hedman and his bodyguard were the 37th and 38th that year. And it was only going to get worse because while Hedman's death solved Griselda's issue of repaying him, it didn't solve Carlos's concerns over territory. In fact, it made everything worse. Now that Hedman was out of the picture, numerous gangs and cartel factions battled for control over his old turf. The notorious cartel leader Pablo Escobar was even rumored to be involved. It was the kind of childish infighting that Griselda would normally leave for the boys
11:55 Vanessa Richardson? while she slipped in through the cracks to take most of the cut. But that didn't happen this time. Because while the city of Miami was on shaky ground, so was Griselda's personal life. Soon, her private affairs would lead her down the darkest path yet and put everything she built at risk.
12:26 Speaker 03 Did you know a volcano once blocked out the sun and accidentally gave us Frankenstein? Or that the most feared pirate in the Atlantic, the man who terrorized an entire ocean, may never have actually killed anyone? Hi, I'm Connor Tomlinson. You might know me from Love on the Spectrum. History is my thing and has been my whole life.
12:48 Speaker 01 And I'm Carter Roy, and this is What the Fact. Every week, we take three of the wildest true things ever recorded and tell you the whole story behind them. The facts that sound made up, the stories that got buried, the moments that changed everything.
13:02 Speaker 03 Carter brings the history.
13:04 Speaker 01 Connor brings the facts, the tangents, and the occasional British accent.
13:08 Speaker 03 Pip, pip. The wildest stuff is real.
13:11 Speaker 01 And the real stuff is wilder than you think.
13:15 Speaker 03 New episodes every Wednesday. Follow What the Fact on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or subscribe on YouTube at What the Fact Pod.
13:29 Vanessa Richardson? Happy Halloween, Crime House listeners. I'm Vanessa Richardson. Did you know horror films like Abigail and Sinister were based on true stories? Join me every Sunday this month on Crime House 24/7 for Crime House of Horrors, where I dive into four stories behind some of our favorite scary movies. From Abigail, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Sinister, and The Taking of Deborah Logan, you'll find one thing in common: the truth is scarier than fiction. Listen every Sunday on Crime House 24/7, or join Crime House Plus for all four right now, ad-free. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at crimehouseplus.com.
14:17 Vanessa Richardson? After the 1979 Dade Land shootout, rival drug gangs broke into all-out war across Miami. Thirty-six-year-old Griselda Blanco normally would have been at the frontlines. Instead, she was fighting her own battles. Her marriage to Dario Sepulveda was becoming increasingly volatile. One minute, they were passionately in love; the next, an explosive, drug-fueled fight broke out between them. Their arguments usually centered around Dario's chronic womanizing. He cheated on Griselda constantly. For all the power she had gained in life, this was the one thing she had no control over.
14:58 Tristin Engels? Yeah, so for someone like Griselda, her partner's infidelity is a direct challenge to her authority and dominance. She's spent a lifetime and taken significant risks, working to avoid betrayal or humiliation and vulnerability. Infidelity might have forced her to confront the reality that her control is part strategy but also part illusion in some aspects. Even the most powerful and dangerous individuals are vulnerable to it. To exploitation, especially in romantic contexts. And it's not just that it affects her psychologically, it affects her safety too. In her world, his infidelity also sends a signal to rivals or competitors. Knowing the person she should trust the most is capable of betraying her
15:42 Tristin Engels? could create the perception that she is weak, exposed, or easily manipulated. And that could potentially compromise everything she has established, both personally and professionally. And that's a threat, and we already know how her brain has been trained to assess threat risks.
15:59 Vanessa Richardson? Why do you think Griselda wasted no time killing her previous husband, Alberto, when she thought he stole money from her, but then put up with Dario's cheating for so long?
16:09 Tristin Engels? This is a really good question. With Alberto, the issue wasn't just that he allegedly stole from her. It was also that he was now in control of everything she had built once they moved back to Colombia. Cultural norms dictated that a man run the operation and she, as a woman, was expected to step back. And she did that, but then her business started to be compromised. People were taking over her roots. She spent decades building this enterprise and overpowering the competition. So knowing that someone had taken this over from her, even if it was her husband, knowing that people saw this as a weakness and started taking her, her drug routes, was intolerable for her. This became an existential threat. With Dario, the dynamic was different.
16:54 Tristin Engels? It was still a betrayal, certainly, but rather than being an existential threat to her, it was a symbolic one, and that might have not required immediate action in her mind. It's also worth considering how her conditional and transactional interpersonal patterns factor in here too. We know she values relationships based on utility, risk, and survival. Tolerating Dario's infidelity might have been strategic, especially if their marriage somehow offered protection, status, or some kind of strategic advantage. Knowing her patterns so far, she likely weighed the cost of acting on his infidelity with operational stability. And the business always seemed to matter more to her. But now that there is an all-out war happening,
17:38 Tristin Engels? and she's not at the front lines when she'd ordinarily be, like you said, because of her personal life, it's possible that because of this, she's realizing that her distraction with her marriage is risky for her business, her reputation and her safety. And therefore, the benefits of acknowledging or addressing that with Dario may now outweigh the risks in her mind.
18:02 Vanessa Richardson? Well, eventually, Griselda decided to do something about Dario's infidelity. And as usual, she solved her problem with violence. It all started when she heard a rumor that Dario was having an affair with a young woman named Graciela Gracie Gomez. Griselda already didn't like Gracie. She thought Gracie had stolen cocaine from her. Now, Griselda felt like she'd let the other woman off the hook for far too long. One morning in 1980, Gracie was sitting in her Corvette in rush hour traffic. Out of nowhere, a man approached the driver's side window and pulled out a gun. But before he could pull the trigger, Gracie jumped out of the car and booked it. When she thought she'd lost the shooter, she decided to hide.
18:46 Vanessa Richardson? She opened the door to another car and threw herself into the backseat. A married couple was sitting in the front. They had no idea what was going on. And Gracie had no time to explain because it turned out she hadn't lost her attacker after all. Within moments, he walked up next to the couple's car, gun raised, and leaned in through the rolled-down passenger-side window where the wife was sitting. The woman felt the gun brush the back of her head. Then she heard a series of deafening shots. With smoke still billowing from his gun, the man simply walked away. The couple was unharmed, but Gracie was dead.
19:27 Tristin Engels? So we know Griselda has this pattern of targeting whomever or whatever directly undermines her power, or her empire, or her survival. This is classic survival-based thinking, which is measuring everything, including people, by the risk or benefit that they represent her. Dario's cheating, not ideal, still a betrayal, but perhaps she felt he still offered protection or a layer of utility even now. I mean, he was the father of her child, Michael. But Gracie, she was a direct challenge to her control and possibly even her resources. Eliminating her was once again about sending a message to her network and anyone watching that betrayal, theft, or even stepping out of line with anything that belongs to her comes with consequences.
20:12 Tristin Engels? And Griselda's violence has historically been selective, calculated, and strategic.
20:17 Vanessa Richardson? As far as we know, this is the first time Griselda ordered a hit that wasn't actually directly related to her drug ring. And I think this is the first time she had a woman killed that we know of. Considering everything we've discussed about Griselda's psyche, what are some possible reasons for these changes?
20:33 Tristin Engels? Yeah, that certainly seems true on the surface, but if we really think about it, this is the second time she's killed someone in the orbit of her personal life whom she believed stole from her. She believed Alberto stole money from her, and she used that as justification to kill him in addition to the fact that he had been threatening and undermining her business. Similarly, she believed Gracie stole cocaine from her, which she may have used as a justification to kill her. Both of these instances undermined her business in some way. Even if the stealing wasn't the real or only reason that she targeted them, they represented a threat to her control and her personal orbit, and killing them was instrumental.
21:15 Vanessa Richardson? While we'll never fully understand Griselda's reasoning for killing Gracie and not Dario, regardless, she wouldn't get caught for it. To law enforcement, Gracie's death was just another drug-related murder, and investigators never considered that a drug hit would lead back to a woman. There was only one person at Miami PD who thought a woman- Women might be the linchpin. An intelligence analyst named June Hawkins had been working in the homicide department for a few years. She lived in Miami her whole life, and her mother's family was from Cuba. She was one of the only people in the department who could speak Spanish. Since women rarely worked as field officers, it was June's job to comb through reports
21:58 Vanessa Richardson? and keep track of suspects' names, and to speak to informants and write memos based on their conversations. One name that kept coming up was Griselda Blanco, which was odd because Griselda Blanco was a known fugitive. Federal investigators believed she'd been in Colombia ever since fleeing her indictment in New York in 1974. But as far as June could tell, Griselda was in Florida. And while none of the witness statements tied her to any known crimes, June knew it was worthwhile to keep connecting the dots. She didn't expect to be led down a rabbit hole, but pretty soon, Griselda made a decision that set off a deadly chain reaction.
22:44 Vanessa Richardson? By 1982, 39-year-old Griselda's three oldest sons, Dixon, Osvaldo, and Uberd, were becoming involved in her syndicate, which meant they sometimes landed themselves in hot water. Fortunately, they had their mom to protect them. One day, Osvaldo needed help hiding a gun, probably because he'd used it in a crime. Griselda asked one of her bodyguards, a man named Jesús Chacho Castro, to help Osvaldo, but for whatever reason, Jesús refused. Griselda took this as a major act of disloyalty. She asked one of her hitmen, Jorge Riviayala, to handle things. Jorge was one of Griselda's most trusted and most feared employees.
23:28 Vanessa Richardson? There were rumors that he was one of the Dayland shooters, but that's never been proven. But Jorge did agree to take out Jesús.
23:38 Vanessa Richardson? On February 6th, 1982, Jorge got into his car and started trailing Jesus, who was driving in his car. When the right moment came, Jorge pulled up next to Jesus and shot at him, but he missed. However, Jesus's two-year-old son had been asleep on his shoulder at the time, and the young boy was tragically killed. This was a huge turning point in the cocaine war. Now, the Miami PD were on the hunt for a true monster. It was a huge blow to Griselda's reputation. Word quickly spread through the drug gangs about what happened. Few people viewed the death of a child as acceptable warfare,
24:20 Vanessa Richardson? and since she'd ordered the botched hit, people viewed her as responsible. That included her own husband. Dario was furious with Griselda. Her recklessness had gone too far. Not only that, but now his child, Griselda's youngest son, four-year-old Michael Corleone, could be at risk if Jesus wanted revenge. Eventually, in 1983, Dario took Michael back to Colombia without telling Griselda. His plan was to live there with Michael, away from Griselda. Forty-year-old Griselda was livid when she found out. In her eyes, Dario had kidnapped their son, and that was worse than any cheating scandal.
25:03 Vanessa Richardson? So, that same year, she took a hit out on her own husband. Her assassins tracked him down in Colombia and shot him in cold blood, right in front of Michael.
25:15 Tristin Engels? Okay, Dario fleeing to Colombia with their son was essentially a kidnapping. Beyond being a personal betrayal on top of his infidelity, it directly, once again, undermined her sense of power and control. For someone like Griselda, if even her husband can take something so important from her, it can send a devastating message to everyone watching. And historically, we know how she responds when her authority is challenged. So while the decision to target him in public with her son... Present may seem illogical at first glance. It's actually consistent with her pattern. She neutralizes threats decisively.
25:56 Tristin Engels? The risk to her son reflects how her need to maintain power and control is prioritized over conventional logic and even the risk. She wants to be seen as ruthless and lethal and without any weakness, even when it comes to family.
26:11 Vanessa Richardson? We don't know whether Griselda intended for her young son to witness his own father's murder, but we do know that after the hit, Griselda had Michael brought back to Miami. The way she saw it, she had done her duty as his mother. No one could take her own children away from her. But Griselda's distorted view of motherhood was blinding her to reality because in the end, it was her family that led to her downfall.
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27:47 Vanessa Richardson? In 1983, 40-year-old Griselda Blanco proved that she wasn't someone to trifle with. After having her husband killed for taking their son, five-year-old Michael, back to Colombia, Griselda showed just how far she'd go to keep her children close by. It was a powerful message to send, especially with her reign over the Miami drug scene on thin ice. But that same loyalty would prove to be her undoing. That same year, in 1983, a woman phoned the Miami DEA office and told them she suspected her daughter was dating a drug dealer. It didn't take long for agents to identify the boyfriend as Griselda's son, 21-year-old
28:29 Vanessa Richardson? Uber Blanco, which made the authorities realize if Uber was in the country, maybe his mother was too. This was the final piece of the puzzle that Miami PD intelligence analyst June Hawkins had been piecing together. Soon investigators were surveilling Uber, plus Griselda's two other oldest sons, Dixon and Osvaldo. But before they could get to Griselda, someone else got to her first. Griselda's enemies were starting to smell blood in the water. Around this same time, she learned that a rival cartel had put a hit out on her. So in 1984, she and Michael picked up and moved to Irvine, a city in Orange County, California.
29:13 Vanessa Richardson? With so much attention on her, Griselda had no choice but to put her cocaine empire on the back burner. Griselda couldn't help herself, though. By May of 1984, she was running a money laundering scheme.
29:28 Tristin Engels? So this really tells us a lot about the kind of person that she has become. She couldn't disengage from the criminal life, even temporarily. When someone spends decades running risky, dangerous operations like this, the brain normalizes it. The constant need to stay one step ahead by planning, strategizing, or finding creative ways to beat the competition becomes an automatic process for someone like her. Crime... Wasn't just a business, it was who she was. She built an entire identity and reputation out of it. And that's not something that she can just turn off. But there's also the element of instant gratification. And this is something I have seen frequently throughout my career.
30:12 Tristin Engels? The more someone engaged in criminal activity, the more it reinforces itself. You start to notice patterns. Offenders will tell me things like working a nine to five is harder than selling drugs for an hour a week. And that's because the payoff is immediate, the rewards are tangible, and the effort feels minimal compared to the risks. For someone like Griselda, this isn't just about convenience, though. It's about validation. Each success, each score, outsmarting others, all reinforces her self-concept as someone who is clever, successful and untouchable, and it's how she qualifies her worth.
30:48 Vanessa Richardson? So thinking back to her lack of logical thinking from earlier, you would think that laying low and maybe getting a regular job, as you mentioned, would be the safest way to evade her rivals and maybe even the police. But would that have even been an option in her mind at that point?
31:03 Tristin Engels? That might seem like the case, and I know we covered this a little bit. But the reality is, it would actually not be safer or easier for someone like Griselda and her high profile. Firstly, getting a wage job or a nine to five job means that she's now on paper. It's a pro-social job. There's a paper trail of her paychecks and her taxes. And even if she uses an alias, being in a lawful job exposes her to being identified by her rivals. And once she's identified, then so are her routines, and so is her location. Secondly, if she gets a wage job and tries to be pro-social, she's going to have to take a backseat to all criminal activity
31:44 Tristin Engels? and remove her access to the networks that have historically kept her feeling powerful and safe. And that would be psychologically destabilizing for someone like her. It's not the kind of survival she knows. And so it's likely that she would feel more vulnerable in a nine to five wage job than staying engaged in her own criminal networks, even though that, of course, is still risky. But remember, she's been involved in criminal activity since she was a child and has really made a name for herself in ways that most never would. This is very different from individuals who have made some mistakes in life, did their time, and are now trying to rebuild and rehabilitate. For her, crime was the framework of her life, her identity, and how she operates in the world.
32:29 Vanessa Richardson? If Griselda had been able to say goodbye to crime once and for all, maybe she would have continued to fly under the radar. But as it was, at some point in May 1984, she met up with one of her crew members to pass along some cash. Little did she know, the person she was handing dirty money to was a DEA informant. They'd tracked her to California after all. Now, federal agents knew where she was and what she was doing. Over the next year, they gathered more intel, and in February of 1985, they finally had enough to make an arrest. On February 17th, investigators showed up at 42-year-old Griselda's house and put her in handcuffs.
33:12 Vanessa Richardson? They charged her with conspiracy to manufacture, import, and distribute cocaine. But it was hard to prove that she'd actually killed anyone, since she rarely pulled the trigger herself. Still, there was enough evidence to ultimately sentence Griselda to 15 years in federal prison. In the meantime, investigators kept compiling evidence for murder. And eight years into Griselda's sentence, they got it when her former hitman, Jorge Ayala, was arrested during a bank robbery in Chicago. In exchange for a lighter sentence, he agreed to testify against his former boss. By this point, the authorities suspected that Griselda was responsible for hundreds of murders.
33:56 Vanessa Richardson? However, they only had enough evidence to charge her with three, including the death of her former bodyguard's two-year-old child. It seemed like the case would be an easy win. But just as prosecutors were getting ready for trial, everything imploded.
34:16 Vanessa Richardson? It turned out Jorge Ayala was involved in a phone sex scandal with multiple employees from the state attorney's office. It created a legal mess and ruined the credibility of the case against Griselda. Now prosecutors couldn't use the information Jorge had given them, and they weren't able to obtain any other reliable witness testimony. However, the case wasn't completely dead in the water, and it seemed like Griselda was ready to talk. In 1998, the 55-year-old agreed to plead guilty to three counts of second-degree murder in exchange for a lighter sentence. She ended up receiving 20 years to be served concurrently with the 15-year sentence she
34:58 Vanessa Richardson? was already on, which meant the murder charges only added five years to her time behind bars, making her earliest release date February of 2005. The added time especially didn't count for much, since Griselda was still pulling the strings of her empire from behind bars. She'd struck up a romantic relationship with a much younger man named Charles Cosby, who was a cocaine dealer from Oakland, California. They'd first met back in the late 1980s, when Charles sent Griselda some fan mail. One thing led to another, and soon, he wasn't just her new love interest, he was also her messenger.
35:39 Vanessa Richardson? Through Charles, Griselda passed along orders to Dixon, Osvaldo, and Uber.
35:45 Tristin Engels? So stemming from the previous conversation, refusing to give up her criminal activity even while incarcerated truly does align with individuals whose identity is connected to their criminal behavior and achievements and reputation. Not to mention, in a prison environment, every interaction is a negotiation. Alliances are survival tools, and money commands respect and safety. And because of that, prison is likely going to exacerbate her drive for control and dominance. Reputation and influence are essential for surviving in that environment, and that's the survival Griselda knows how to navigate efficiently. So being incarcerated introduces a new type of vulnerability when it comes to her
36:30 Tristin Engels? criminal enterprise. She is no longer physically present to run her business. And that absence can appear vulnerable to rivals and compromise everything for her. So as a result, she's more inclined to amp up her involvement in whatever limited ways she can to make sure her presence is felt, even behind bars. And it's something I've actually seen frequently, working with incarcerated individuals, particularly those who are gang members.
36:58 Vanessa Richardson? What do you think about her relationship with Charles? So knowing her history, does it seem like she was just desperate for companionship? Maybe she was lonely again? Or is this more of a transactional relationship with him?
37:09 Tristin Engels? So on the surface, yeah, it can look like a companionship. But given her history, it's likely more complex. Again, she's transactional in her relationships, especially when it comes to men who could either support her empire or threaten it. So while companionship might have played a role, it's more likely that the relationship was instrumental and conditional, so long as it served both practical and psychological needs. It's also noteworthy that Charles is much younger, and she was introduced to him when he sent her fan mail. She didn't pursue him back then, when he expressed that interest, likely because she had no need for him at the time. But now she does.
37:51 Tristin Engels? And he was an attractive connection because she probably viewed him as pliable, less threatening, useful for maintaining her business while incarcerated. I mean, he is a cocaine dealer himself, and potentially exploitable.
38:04 Vanessa Richardson? Whatever Griselda's reasons were for continuing her work behind bars, it came at a steep cost. While Griselda was in prison, Osvaldo and Uber were murdered in separate incidents, likely as revenge for the bloodshed that she had caused over the years. The loss took a toll on her mentally and physically. At one point, she told a family member that if it wasn't for her youngest son, Michael, she would have taken her own life in prison. Still, Griselda's grief finally pushed her to her breaking point. For the first time, she stepped back from the business and turned to religion.
38:43 Tristin Engels? Let's explore the sudden turn to religion because I don't think she's been religious in the past. Religion can serve multiple psychological functions, especially for somebody who's incarcerated. Firstly, it can act as a coping mechanism by providing structure, meaning, and a moral framework that she may not have been exposed to before. I've seen religion have very positive results in incarcerated individuals and their overall coping with their detainment. Conversely, though, it could also be manipulative. Turning to religion can shift perception and present her as reformed or untouchable, which can serve strategic purposes in legal, social, or criminal contexts. But remember, she needs control.
39:27 Tristin Engels? So, adopting a religious identity or aligning with spiritual frameworks, she can regain control because she can exert influence over how others perceive her, and she can get structure in her daily life and maintain a sense of moral or strategic superiority. This, again, is something I've also seen frequently when I worked in corrections. And lastly, we can't ignore the emotional component. Even someone as calculated and calloused as Griselda may seek comfort or a way to reconcile her past actions with a desire to feel protected, guided, or even forgiven, even though it's self-serving rather than selfless. And this could also be part of her grieving process.
40:11 Tristin Engels? So, her turn to religion may be part strategy, part self-soothing or coping, and part identity management.
40:19 Vanessa Richardson? Regardless of what prompted Griselda's turn to religion, her newfound faith gave her solace, especially when the 61-year-old was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2004. And perhaps because it seemed like she'd truly changed her ways, Griselda was granted compassionate release on the condition she immediately returned to Colombia.
40:42 Vanessa Richardson? By that point, two of her sons were dead, and the two who were still alive were either dealing with substance abuse issues or legal trouble. So when she touched down in her home country, no one was there to greet her. Just like that, the woman who once had everything she ever wanted was left with nothing. Her reign was finally over. However, she wasn't completely destitute. Griselda still owned multiple properties in Colombia, so she settled into one of her upscale homes in Medellin. From afar, 26-year-old Michael helped her access money that she had stashed away over the years. She used those funds to pay for cancer treatment and lived an unassuming life for the next eight years.
41:27 Vanessa Richardson? Griselda Blanco was finally done with the drug business. But it wasn't done with her.
41:37 Vanessa Richardson? On September 3, 2012, Griselda went for a walk with her pregnant daughter-in-law. They had coffee and stopped at a local butcher shop. On their way out, a man on a motorcycle pulled up beside them. He pulled out a gun and shot 69-year-old Griselda twice, killing her instantly. After years of ordering countless hits, the godmother was killed in the same cold-blooded style she had perfected. To this day, no one knows who killed Griselda Blanco. But it's almost certain that her murder was payback for all the bloodshed she had caused.
42:18 Vanessa Richardson? All that Griselda had ever wanted was to be in control of her own fate. And in the end, she wrote the final scene of her own story. There's no denying that she left behind a complex legacy. She came from nothing and built herself an empire. But that empire was built on death. And in the end, she received the same thing she'd given countless others: a sudden, brutal ending with no real resolution.
43:06 Vanessa Richardson? Thanks so much for listening. Come back next time for a deep dive into the mind of another murderer.
43:12 Tristin Engels? Killer Minds is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on Instagram at Killer Minds. And don't forget to rate, review, and follow Killer Minds wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference.
43:32 Vanessa Richardson? And to enhance your listening experience, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode of Killer Minds ad-free, along with early access to each thrilling two-part series and exciting Crime House bonus content.
43:50 Vanessa Richardson? Killer Minds is hosted by me, Vanessa Richardson, and Dr. Tristin Engels, and is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. This episode was brought to life by the Killer Minds team: Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Lori Marinelli, Natalie Perczowski, Sarah Kemp, Kate Murdock, Marky Lee, Sarah Bachelor, Hania Said, and Carrie Murphy. Thank you for listening.
44:22 Vanessa Richardson? If you're looking for your next podcast, check out What the Fact with Connor Tomlinson from Netflix's Love on the Spectrum and Carter Roy. Every week, they take three unbelievable true facts from history and tell you the full story behind them. Follow What the Fact wherever you listen, or subscribe on YouTube at What the Fact Pod.
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