Abel Musa Miño

Before Juana Barraza Samperio became known across Mexico as “La Mataviejitas,” — Spanish for The Elderly Woman Slayer — she had another name. In wrestling circles, she was “The Lady of Silence,” a woman drawn to the masks, belts, pageantry, and theatrical violence of lucha libre. Those who knew her in that environment later remembered her as calm and friendly, an image that would sit uneasily beside the crimes eventually linked to her name.

Stephanie, a 36-year-old executive from Melbourne, had stayed behind in Italy after a European trip with friends when her dream vacation took a chilling turn. The Australian traveler, who is known on social media for sharing DIY home renovation videos, had been drawn to Sicily for two reasons: First, she wanted to explore Italy’s €1-house programs, where abandoned or dilapidated properties are sold for a symbolic one euro.