How And Why Francisca Ballesteros Killed Her Entire Family

Francisca Ballesteros was born in Valencia, Spain in 1969. By the time she was arrested in 2004, she had become known as the Black Widow of Valencia and the Poisoner of Mellila, having killed her entire family over a period of 14 years, per The World Encyclopedia of Serial Killers.

Ballesteros married Antonio González Barribino, and in 1990, she had a baby daughter named Florinda, per List25. Apparently suffering from postpartum depression and longing to end her marriage, Ballesteros poisoned her 5-month-old daughter with a drug called Colme, which is typically used to treat alcoholism.

On January 12, 2004, Ballesteros finally killed her husband, using the sedatives Zolpidem and Bromazepam, per The World Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. Then on June 4 of the same year, Ballesteros used the same medications to kill her daughter Sandra and attempted to use them on her 12-year-old son Antonio, who survived and was admitted to the hospital. Ballesteros was arrested on June 7, 2004, and was sentenced to 84 years in prison.

It is quite difficult to understand the motivations behind any murderer's actions. However, it appears there were several factors that may have pushed Ballesteros over the edge.

It is possible that Ballesteros's relationship with Barribino was abusive, as Ballesteros told the Spanish publication El Mundo that her husband was a drunk who beat her. Also, it seems that Ballesteros's decision to finally kill the rest of her family in 2004 appears to be motivated by the fact that she had met a man on the internet with whom she planned on running away, according to The World Encyclopedia of Serial Killers.

Ballesteros also suffered from postpartum depression, an affliction that plagues an estimated one in seven women, per Psychiatry. Like other forms of depression, postpartum depression can trigger a loss of interest in daily activities, overwhelming fatigue, and many other debilitating conditions; it can also trigger thoughts of harming oneself or one's child, according to Mayo Clinic.

In severe cases, postpartum depression can develop into postpartum psychosis, which can trigger hallucinations, delusions, and even attempts to harm oneself or one's child. It's possible that Ballesteros was suffering from some form of postpartum psychosis given her decision to murder her first daughter a mere five months after her birth.

The fact that Ballesteros killed the rest of her family fourteen years later, however, points to deeper issues such as a form of sociopathy or psychopathy. Serial killers kill for a variety of reasons; and specifically, mothers who kill their children are often sufferers of mental illness and domestic violence, according to ABC, though the factors that motivate filial infanticide are complex. Isolation, economic issues, and other factors can also play a role.

As for the fact that Ballesteros used poison, her gender may have played a role. Women are seven times more likely to use poison to kill than men, according to the Washington Post; and according to Psychology Today, poisoners generally can be characterized by a lack of empathy and a feeling of inadequacy, though motivations can, of course, vary.

Regardless of what led her to commit these terrible crimes, one thing is clear: Something pushed Francisca Ballesteros beyond the brink, and she will spend the rest of her life behind bars because of it.