The Vampire of Barcelona: The Chilling Crimes of Enriqueta Martí

This episode we are diving into one of the most chilling and disturbing true crime cases in Spanish history: the horrifying tale of Enriqueta Martí. Known as the "Vampire of Barcelona," her crimes blurred the line between urban legend and brutal reality.

Enriqueta Martí preyed upon the city's most vulnerable, exploiting desperation, greed, and superstition to build her dark empire. But why did she do it? What drove her to commit such unspeakable acts? And why were her wealthy clients never brought to justice?

From her rise in Barcelona’s underbelly to her gruesome practices and eventual capture, this episode unravels the truth and the legends surrounding one of history’s most notorious female criminals.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Barcelona's Dark Allure
• 1:20 Enriqueta's Descent into Darkness
• 2:48 The Predator Among Us
• 6:35 The Night of Terror
• 9:29 The Horrors Unveiled
• 13:16 A Legacy of Fear
• 14:42 Secrets of the Wealthy
• 15:35 The Haunting Legacy of Enriqueta

Transcript

Speaker0: 0:00

Barcelona. The name itself evokes images of beauty and sophistication. The stunning architecture, the vibrant energy, the gentle breeze rolling off the Mediterranean Sea. A city where art meets elegance, and history echoes through the winding streets. But beneath the elegance, just over a century ago, Barcelona was plagued by something far dark. A terror that thrived in its underbelly. A shadow that crept through its narrow alleys and preyed upon the city's most vulnerable. She was called many things. A witch, a vampire, a monster. But her real name was Enriqueta Martí. And her story is one of the most chilly of Spanish crime. Welcome to GBRLIFE Transmissions. I'm your host, Kaitlyn, and you're listening to GBRLIFE of Crimes, where we explore not just what happened in crimes committed by women, but why they happened, and the psychology behind them. Today, we unravel the twisted tale of Enriqueta Martí, a woman whose actions blurred the line between urban legend and horrific reality. A woman who exploited desperation, greed, and superstition to fulfill her own dark desires. But what drove her to commit the crimes that would make her a legend of terror? Born in 1868 in a small town just outside of Barcelona, Enriqueta Martí grew up in poverty. Life was harsh, unrelenting, and unforgiving. Survival required more than just work. It required cunning. She moved to Barcelona as a young woman, searching for opportunity. But Barcelona, like the cities of that time, was rife with inequality. The wealth lived in opulent mansions, while the poor languished cramped tenements, fighting over scraps. For a woman with no family wealth or connections, survival meant using what little she had. Enriqueta became a maid, a nanny, a cook, doing whatever she could find. But as the years passed and the struggle continued, desperation turned to something darker. She discovered the world. Of prostitution, and with it a glimpse of the power she desperately craved. In this period. Enriqueta began mingling with Barcelona's most depraved elite, men of wealth and influence, who had tastes far removed from the respectable facade that they displayed in public. Enriqueta learned quickly. She saw how the wealth was used for their privilege to escape judgment, how their power insulated them from consequence. And she began to understand that power could be hers too, if she was willing to do what others would not. Enriqueta's reputation grew by day she walked the streets of Barcelona dressed in rags, pretending to be a beggar. It was the perfect disguise. No one paid attention to a beggar, and no one suspected her true intentions. By night, she slipped into a more elegant persona. She began pretending to be a healer, a woman skilled in the ancient art of folk medicine and occult rituals, but her true skill laid in the exploiting of desperation of others. At the time, tuberculosis, known as the White Plague, was ravaging Europe. Medical science had no cure and superstition filled the void. Wealthy patrons were willing to pay enormous sums for potions, ointments, and treatments that promised salvation. Her remedies were rumored to contain ingredients that were both revolting and horrific. Blood, bones, flesh, and not just from animals. And it was said that her potions were crafted from the remains of children. Enriqueta had discovered a dark and profitable niche. The wealthy were willing to pay anything for a cure to their ailments. And her so-called remedies were whispered to have miraculous properties. But where did these ingredients come from? That was a secret kept hidden from the world. It's said that she would wander the slums of Barcelona disguised as a pauper. She would approach children playing in the streets, children who belonged to the city's poorest families, children who would not be missed, except by their families. She lured them with sweets, food, promises of shelter. And once they were within her grasp, they were never seen again. For years, whispers of her crimes spread throughout Barcelona's neighborhoods. But the wealthy turned a blind eye after all her victims were the children of beggars and laborers. They were invisible. Psychologists studying predators often describe a process called dehumanization. By stripping their victims of humanity, by seeing them as only tools or resources, the predator can rationalize their cruelty. For the children were not individuals. They were ingredients, objects, to be harvested for profit. But even that horrifying thought doesn't explain her crime. because Enriqueta's actions went far beyond mere profit. There was cruelty there, a hunger for dominance, a need for control. Enriqueta moved frequently, renting various apartments throughout Barcelona, but her most infamous residence was on Carrerponent, a street notorious for its poverty and crimes. It was there, in a cramped, decaying building, that her darkest deeds were unfolded. Her apartment was divided into two distinct halves. One part was decorated lavishly. A space where she would receive clients, wealthy men and women seeking their bizarre remedies that she would fulfill. But it wasn't until 1912 that her reign of terror would come to an end. And even then, it was only by chance. Barcelona was already steeped in fear by 1912. The poor spoke in hushed tones of children who vanished into the night. Authorities did little, willing to do nothing in wasting resources investigating the fates of children from the city's slums. They meant nothing, because they were poor. But that all changed on February 10th, 1912, the day a little girl named Teresetta disappeared. Dericeta was not the first child to vanish, as you know, but she was different. Her parents were relentless. They raised alarms. Plastered posters across the city sought help from anyone who would listen. They couldn't look away. The city, that is. Because the parents said, you will find my child. Days passed. Hope dwindled. But then a neighbor, perhaps driven by curiosity or something darker, made a critical observation. She had seen a child's face peering from a window in Enriqueta Martí's apartment. A face, pale and terrified, it was enough to spur action. The authorities raided Enriqueta's apartment, and what they found within was something out of a nightmare. The room was a mess of contradictions. But the most terrifying discovery of all? Two young girls, the Rizeta and another girl whose name was never officially documented. They were barely breathing, malnourished, beaten. The children were taken to safety, but the true extent of Enriqueta's depravity was only the beginning. Further investigation into the apartment revealed items that would send chills down the spines of even the most hardened detectives. Jars filled with blood, small bones, some chard, others clean cut. Journals filled with notes of concoctions made from these remains. Authorities described finding ointments, powders, and salves, each one made with the very flesh and bones of these children. But why? Why did she do this? We have to understand the world she lived in, a city divided by wealth and poverty, a time where tuberculosis tore through the population. People were desperate. And desperation breeds madness. And she was their healer, someone who could cure the incurable. And the wealthy, blinded by their own terror, paid enormous sums for this remedy that she and only she could provide. Psychologists setting the case have pointed to several disturbing traits in Enriqueta's behavior. A complete lack of empathy a desire for control and most importantly a sense of superiority, Enriceta had built herself a kingdom of suffering a place where she wielded absolute power over her victims it wasn't enough to exploit their bodies she needed to dominate them completely and the fact that her clients were willing to turn a blind eye to her methods only fueled her arrogance, but perhaps the most horrifying aspect of her crimes was how methodical she carried them out. She was a true predator. Psychologists often describe a process called depersonalization in addition to dehumanization. It's when a perpetrator distances themselves from the humanity of victims by stripping away their identities. So this goes beyond dehumanization. She also removes their ability to have an identity at all, because she viewed them as mere objects. The predator in these circumstances can justify their actions. And Enriqueta excelled at this. The children she took were not individuals. They were not even human. They were components. True ingredients. But there's another theory. One that speaks of the psychological condition known as malignant narcissism. Malignant narcissism is characterized by several key traits. A grandiose sense of self-importance a need for constant validation an utter lack of empathy and a statistic enjoyment of cruelty for Enriqueta it wasn't enough to exploit the children she needed to prove her superiority over them to demonstrate her power in the most grotesque ways imaginable. And as you know, she did not feel remorse for this. But why? Why would someone descend into such darkness? Some theorists point to Enriqueta's early years in Barcelona. Poverty, abuse, and a world where violence was a daily reality. It's possible that Enriqueta, desperate to escape her own suffering, developed a twisted belief that power could only be achieved by the suffering of others. Others believed she was simply born that way, a mind wired for cruelty, a soul untouched by compassion. Whatever the truth, her actions left a scar on Barcelona that would never heal. Enrique Martí was taken into custody and her crimes exposed for all of the city to see. The press wasted no time in labeling her a monster. They called her the vampire of Barcelona, feeding the public's thirst for horror. The true horror lay not in the sensationalized headlines. It laid in the truth. Enriqueta had preyed upon the city's most vulnerable children without families, children who had no one to speak for them. And even as the public cried out for justice, A dark suspicion lingered, because Enriqueta's clients, the wealthy men and women who paid her for these twisted remedies, were never named, never questioned, and never held accountable. When you think about it, these things are still going on today. But some theorists believe that her sudden death in prison was no accident because she was murdered in prison. but her clients may have been the one to arrange it, to keep their own secrets buried. We will never know for certain, because on May 12, 1913, she was beaten to death by a fellow inmate before she could stand trial. Barcelona wanted justice, but the truth was buried along with her, along with the names of all of the wealthy who knew very well what she was doing. And as humans, we like to forget their involvement. Over a century later, Enriqueta's name still haunts Barcelona. She's become part of the city's folklore, a boogeyman invoked to frighten children into obedience. But the real fear is rooted in something far deeper. It's the fear that predators like Enriqueta are not unique. That evil like hers can emerge anywhere, hiding behind polite smiles and respectable facades. Psychologists studying her case describe her as a perfect storm of psychological disorders, a predator born of cruelty, poverty, and desperation. But also a woman who reveled in her own darkness. A woman who turned suffering into profit. A cruelty into power. And the wealthy behind to help her make it happen. This has been GBRLIFE of Crimes, part of GBRLIFE Transmissions. I'm Kaitlyn reminding you that understanding the darkness can help us appreciate the light. Join me next time as we uncover another case that challenges everything we thought we knew about the criminal mind.