Death House Landlady

The Secret Life of Dorothea Puente

De: Elliot Christopher

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

Behind the whitewashed walls of a quiet Sacramento boarding house, an elderly woman served homemade meals, offered warm smiles—and buried bodies in her garden.
Dorothea Puente appeared to be the perfect landlord: nurturing, soft-spoken, and devoted to caring for the elderly and disabled. But behind her grandmotherly façade lurked a manipulative killer who preyed on society’s most vulnerable for money, power, and control. For years, she murdered her tenants, forged their signatures, and continued cashing their Social Security checks—all while the system turned a blind eye.
Death House Landlady: The Secret Life of Dorothea Puente is an unflinching exploration into one of America’s most disturbing female serial killers. This investigative tell-all traces Puente’s story from her traumatic childhood through the calculated persona she crafted as a caretaker for society’s most vulnerable: the elderly, mentally ill, and disabled. Each chapter unpacks the web of deception that allowed her to operate in plain sight for years, manipulating public systems, social services, and even her victims' families. Despite multiple arrests and warnings, Puente evaded detection with disturbing ease—until the shallow graves in her garden betrayed her.
This is not just a story of murder. It’s a haunting reminder of the cost of silence, the consequences of institutional failure, and the evil that can hide in plain sight.
You thought you knew your neighbors. Think again.


Readers will follow Puente’s life behind bars, her correspondence with journalists, and her efforts to maintain her innocence even as evidence mounted against her. “Letters from Dorothea” presents chilling excerpts from her prison writings, revealing a woman devoid of remorse yet desperate to control her narrative.
Finally, Death House Landlady examines Puente’s posthumous fame—how she has been portrayed in documentaries, podcasts, and art, raising questions about society’s fascination with female killers. This story reflects on how Puente’s case exposed society’s disregard for the elderly and mentally ill, prompting overdue discussions about reform and responsibility. Dorothea Puente’s case is a powerful indictment of systemic failure, a tribute to forgotten victims, and a riveting psychological profile of a killer who defied expectations. It is not just a story of murder—it is a cautionary tale of how evil can wear the most ordinary face.