Francisca Ballesteros (born 1969) is a Spanish woman who poisoned to death her first baby, a five-month-old daughter, in 1990. Fourteen years later, in 2004, she killed her husband and second daughter because she had met a man on the Internet and wanted to run away from her parenting and marriage to be with her newfound lover. Ballesteros then tried to poison her twelve-year-old son, although he survived after eight months of recovery. Following her son's poisoning, she was arrested by Spanish authorities. She was convicted on three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder and sentenced to eighty-four years in prison in 2005.

Biography

Francisca Ballesteros was born in 1969 in

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

. A few years later, she moved to

Melilla Melilla (, ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was part of the Province of Málaga un ...

. After marrying Antonio González Barribino, Ballesteros gave birth to a daughter, who she named Florinda. In 1990, Ballesteros suffered from

postpartum depression Postpartum depression (PPD), also called perinatal depression, is a mood disorder which may be experienced by pregnant or postpartum women. Symptoms include extreme sadness, low energy, anxiety, crying episodes, irritability, and extreme cha ...

and wanted to end her

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

, but she finally decided against it. She instead decided to kill her family and flee to Valencia. Ballesteros poisoned Florinda, who was only five months old, with Colme, a drug used to treat

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

. After the death of the baby, Ballesteros decided to wait to kill the rest of her family. In 2004, 14 years after murdering her daughter, Ballesteros, who had met many men through the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

, decided to kill the rest of her family, flee to the city where one of the men that she had met online was living, and marry him. On 12 January 2004 Ballesteros killed her husband Antonio González Barribino with Colme and with the

sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or Psychomotor agitation, excitement. They are central nervous system (CNS) Depressant, depressants and interact with brain activity, causing its decelera ...

Zolpidem Zolpidem, sold under the brand name Ambien among others, is a medication primarily used for the short-term treatment of sleeping problems. Guidelines recommend that it be used only after cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and after beh ...

and

Bromazepam Bromazepam, sold under many brand names, is a benzodiazepine. It is mainly an anxiolytic, anti-anxiety agent with similar side effects to diazepam. In addition to being used to treat anxiety or panic states, bromazepam may be used as a premedica ...

. On 4 June 2004, Ballesteros killed her daughter Sandra with the same medications and attempted to kill her 12-year-old son Antonio, who was admitted to the hospital with

poison A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...

ing on 4 June 2004. The

autopsy An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...

of her daughter Sandra revealed that she had been poisoned. On 7 June 2004, Ballesteros was arrested and confessed to the murders. On 26 September 2005, Francisca Ballesteros was sentenced to a term of 84 years in prison.LA ENVENENADORA DE MELILLA

References

External links

"Black widow" jailed for 84 years
'' Tenerife News'' 1969 births 1990 murders in Spain 2004 murders in Spain Female murderers of children Filicides Living people Mariticides People convicted of murder by Spain People from Valencia People with mood disorders Poisoners Spanish female murderers 21st-century Spanish criminals 20th-century Spanish criminals Spanish female serial killers Spanish murderers of children Spanish people convicted of murder {{Crime-stub

Biography

See also

References

External links