Gregorio “Goyo” Cardenas: The Tacuba Strangler | With Jack Luna of Dark Topic

Can a serial killer truly be rehabilitated, or can a clever murderer simply convince the world that he's changed?

In this special episode of Once Upon a Crime, Esther welcomes back Jack Luna, host and producer of the acclaimed true crime podcast Dark Topic. Jack joins Esther to explore one of Mexico's most bizarre and controversial true crime cases.

In 1942, Gregorio "Goyo" Cárdenas Hernández was a young scientist with a promising future. But behind his respectable exterior lurked a killer. Over the course of just three weeks, Goyo murdered four young women in Mexico City, burying their bodies in the garden behind his home.

His arrest shocked the nation, but what happened afterward was perhaps even more astonishing.

Esther and Jack examine Goyo's troubled childhood, his disturbing crimes, controversial psychiatric treatment, and unlikely rise to celebrity status after his incarceration. Along the way, they explore the psychology of serial murder, the possibility of rehabilitation, and society's troubling fascination with notorious killers—while remembering the four young women whose lives were cut short.

Special Guest: Jack Luna

Jack is the creator and host of Dark Topic, a long-running true crime podcast blending meticulous case research, narrative storytelling, personal reflection, and dark humor.

Esther and Jack previously collaborated in December 2019 on an in-depth examination of the JonBenét Ramsey case, which remains one of Once Upon a Crime's most popular episodes. You can listen to that episode here:

https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/s4-ep155-analyzing-the-jonbenet-ramsey-case-with-jack-luna/

Listen to Dark Topic: https://www.darktopic.com

Sources & Further Reading

• Clarkson, Wensley. Serial Killers of Mexico: Chilling Stories of Evil Buried Beneath the Narco Drug Wars (2022).
• Gregorio Cárdenas Hernández — Murderpedia
• Gregorio Cárdenas Hernández — Wikipedia
• The Mar del Norte Crimes (Goyo Cárdenas) — YouTube
• Gregorio "Goyo" Cárdenas: El Estrangulador de Tacuba — Criminalística

Connect with Once Upon a Crime

Visit https://www.truecrimepodcast.com for more episodes, updates, and bonus content.

Listen, follow, and share! If you enjoyed this collaboration, please follow Once Upon a Crime and Dark Topic wherever you listen to podcasts.

Content Advisory: This episode discusses murder, sexual violence, and crimes involving minors. Listener discretion is advised.

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