True Crime: The Killer Landlady

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In this episode, we examine the chilling case of a woman who appeared to offer shelter and care to society’s most vulnerable, while hiding a far darker reality. This is the story of Dorothea Puente, often referred to as the Killer Landlady.

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Dorothea Puente ran a boarding house in Sacramento, California, during the 1980s. Many of her tenants were elderly, disabled or struggling with addiction. On the surface, she presented herself as a kindly caretaker who helped residents manage their finances and daily needs. In truth, she was systematically exploiting them.

In this episode, we explore how suspicions first arose when a social worker began asking questions about a missing tenant in 1988.

A subsequent search of Puente’s property uncovered a horrifying discovery: multiple bodies buried in the garden of the boarding house. Investigators ultimately linked her to the murders of nine tenants, though she was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder in 1993.

Evidence presented at trial showed that Puente had drugged her victims and forged or cashed their benefit cheques after their deaths, continuing to collect income in their names.

Despite maintaining her innocence in court, she was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

The case shocked the United States not only because of the crimes themselves, but because of how long Puente was able to operate without detection. It exposed gaps in oversight, particularly concerning vulnerable adults receiving state benefits.

Dorothea Puente died in prison in 2011, but the questions her case raised about trust, exploitation and systemic failure remain relevant today.

In this episode, we examine how she gained the confidence of those around her, how the investigation unfolded and how a quiet residential property became the centre of one of California’s most disturbing murder cases.

Thank you for joining us on True Crime Storytime.