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Lucy Wigley

What happened to Griselda Blanco's three husbands? What we know of the men in the drug lord's life

Alberto Guerra as Dario, Sofia Vergara as Griselda in episode 104 of Griselda.

Griselda Blanco's three husbands are a part of the crime lord's incredible story. Here's everything we know about what happened to the mother-of-four's spouses.

Netflix's Griselda has certainly got fans asking questions about the real story behind the drama. Sofia Vergara spent hours in prosthetics to achieve the look of one of history's most high profile drug lords. Even Pablo Escobar was said to be frightened of the woman who switched between the roles of wife and mother, and ordering hits at the drop of a hat. We've already looked into Griselda's Blanco's children now, but what of the men in her life? Here's what we know about the ones who dared to marry "the Godmother."

Griselda Blanco has been the subject of multiple films and TV shows, as has another woman involved in a high profile crime - viewers tuning into Love & Death were left asking about the whereabouts of Candy Montgomery now, after two dramatisations of her life were released back to back. The "Bling Ring" case has similarly been mulled over in multiple documentaries and series - we looked at what happened to Rachel Lee, the alleged leader of the group who robbed the rich and famous. 

What happened to Griselda Blanco's three husbands?

Carlos Trujillo, Alberto Bravo, and Dario Sepúlveda are all dead. Blanco had her eldest three children with her first husband, Carlos. Dixon Trujillo-Blanco, Uber Trujillo-Blanco, and Osvaldo Trujillo-Blanco were all born before Blanco was 21. 

Her youngest son, Michael Corleone Blanco was born to her third husband, Dario. The crime lord didn't have any children with middle husband, Alberto. Here's what is alleged to have happened to each of the men she was involved with...

Carlos Trujillo

Griselda Blanco met Carlos Trujillo in Medellín, Colombia, at the age of 13. He was a document forger and engaged in small-time criminal activity. Marrying shortly after meeting, the pair along with Osvaldo, Dixon and Uber, moved to New York at some point during the 1960s. 

Sometime during the same decade, the couple divorced but remained working together. According to the Mirror, it's suggested Blanco had Carlos killed after a "business dispute" in the 1970s. However, she was never charged with the crime, and her involvement in his death remains unproven. 

Alberto Bravo

As per Netflix Tudum, Blanco is suspected of having killed Alberto Bravo herself - again, this was never proved. In 1975, Blanco is thought to have become suspicious that Bravo was stealing money from her business when millions of dollars went missing. Following an argument, it's suggested Blanco took out a pistol while Bravo pulled out an Uzi submachine gun.

During their alleged gunfight, Bravo and his bodyguards were killed, and Blanco shot in the stomach. According to Tudum, June Hawkins-Singleton, one of the detectives on Blanco's case, feels Bravo's death could be directly attributed to Blanco. "I don’t doubt that she did a number of them perhaps, but we could never get anyone to either tell us that, or she certainly didn’t say anything about it," the detective said.

Dario Sepúlveda

Dario Sepúlveda is a key character in the Griselda series, unlike Carlos who doesn't appear at all, and Alberto who appears briefly. Griselda and her third husband married in 1978, and split in 1983. Sepúlveda returned to Medellín, in Colombia, the same year, taking the couple's 5-year old son, Michael with him. It's thought he wanted to shield his child from a life of crime.

The Miami New Times reported that Sepulveda was killed by men dressed as police officers in Medellín, shortly after arriving there with his son. The publication suggested Max Mermelstein and Jorge "Rivi" Ayala - close friends of Blanco, told law enforcement she had ordered the hit. However, Michael's confidante, Cristian Rios, denied Blanco was involved in the killing. 

Michael returned to live with his mother following the death of his father, but a year later Blanco was arrested and imprisoned. He lived with trusted relatives and guardians chosen by Blanco while she was incarcerated. 

(Image credit: Elizabeth Morris/Netflix)

Who is Charles Cosby and is he still alive?

Charles Cosby began writing to Griselda Blanco in prison in 1991. The pair struck up a relationship, and Cosby is one person romantically linked to Blanco who remains alive.  

In an interview with the Sun, Cosby recalled meeting Blanco when he was in her early twenties and she in her forties. She would pay off guards in order for Cosby to visit her in jail. The relationship came to an end in 1997 following a row, with Blanco believing Cosby was involved with other women.

He told the publication "She told me her childhood was rough and she had to kill to eat. It was a violent era and there were no social welfare programs. So if the parents or the child didn’t work, they didn’t eat. By the time she turned 12 she had killed four or five people." 

He added "Griselda was heartless but it didn’t put me off because that was then my world too, and she was the biggest fish in the ocean. I wouldn’t say it was love at first sight with her but there was attraction and mutual respect. We had a lot of fun together and were one and the same because we both came from poverty and both wanted a better life for our families." 

(Image credit: Elizabeth Morris/Netflix)

How did Griselda Blanco die?

Griselda Blanco was shot twice as she exited a butchers shop, on September 3, 2012.

The crime lord had left prison in 2004 after suffering a heart attack. She was released on compassionate grounds, following a 19-year sentence. Griselda was immediately deported from the US back to Colombia, where she lived a quiet life in Medellín. Visiting the butchers with her pregnant daughter-in-law, a man pulled up on a motorbike and assassinated her in a drive by shooting, replicating those she originated during her reign.

Speaking to the Miami Herald about her death, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Schlessinger, said he couldn't guess how many murders Blanco was responsible for. He said "We have no idea here how many murders she authorized in Colombia. She was a complete sociopath. She murdered people at the drop of a hat. She would kill anybody who displeased her, because of a debt, because they screwed up on a shipment, or she didn’t like the way they looked at her."

Blanco is buried in the Jardines de Montesacro cemetery, the same cemetery as fellow drug lord Pablo Escobar. 

For more on true crime, we looked at the whereabouts of Joanne Hayes after her wrongful conviction in the Kerry babies case, and Barry George following his overturned conviction in Jill Dando's murder. We've also delved into where Paolo Macchiarini is now, after Netflix aired a horrifying documentary about the surgeon.

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