Why is Griselda Blanco called the Black Widow?

In the Netflix series Griselda, Sofia Vergara captivated with her portrayal of the eponymous drug lord. Delving into Blanco’s dark and tumultuous world, you might wonder why the real-life criminal earned the moniker “the Black Widow.”

As evidenced by the success of shows like Narcos and Breaking Bad, the rise and fall of drug kingpins and the gritty underworld of narcotics trafficking make for good TV shows.

Cue Griselda, Netflix’s crime series that bridges the gap between fiction and true crime, adapting the rise to power of the notorious Colombian drug lord of the same name.

With all six episodes now streaming on Netflix, this is why Griselda Blanco is known as the Black Widow.

Why is Griselda Blanco called the Black Widow?

Griselda Blanco was known as the Black Widow because she allegedly was responsible for the deaths of each of her husbands. Female Black Widow spiders kill after mating.

In her lifetime, Blanco had three husbands and four children. Three of these children came from her first marriage to her husband Carlos Trujillo, while the pair were based in Medellín, Colombia. Blanco’s first three children were all born before she turned 21.

Little else is known about their marriage. Circumstances surrounding his death, or potential murder, aren’t easily accessible.

Griselda Blanco’s second husband was Alberto Bravo, who allegedly got her involved in the Colombian drugs market. At the beginning of the Netflix series, we see Blanco (Sofia Vergara) fleeing from Medellín to head to Miami, with little revealed about where her husband had gone. By Episode 2, it’s insinuated that Blanco killed him herself, though this has never been proven true in real life.

Blanco came to believe that Bravo was stealing money, and a shoot-out between the couple resulted in his death. This is when her nickname of the Black Widow first took hold.

The same can’t be said for her third husband, Darío Sepúlveda, who was thought to have been killed after Griselda Blanco paid someone to have him taken care of. The pair had a son, Michael Corleone Blanco, named after the Godfather. Leaving Blanco in 1983 to return to Medellín — as the couple had met in Miami — Sepúlveda kidnapped Michael during custody disputes.

Blanco did eventually head to prison for murder – but not for any of her husbands. While serving a sentence for racketeering, she was additionally charged with three counts of first-degree murder by the state of Florida. Jorge Ayala, Blanco’s trusted hitman, testified that she had ordered him to carry out said killings.

Griselda is streaming on Netflix now. You can read more in how did Griselda Blanco’s sons die and how much money did Griselda Blanco make.