What happened to Griselda Blanco's three husbands? What we know about Dario Sepúlveda, Alberto Bravo and Carlos Trujillo's real lives
Getting involved with Griselda was a risky business - she was known as 'The Black Widow' for a reason
Griselda Blanco's three husbands are a part of the crime lord's incredible story. Here's everything we know about what happened to Dario Sepúlveda, Alberto Bravo and Carlos Trujillo - the mother-of-four's spouses.
Netflix's Griselda has certainly got fans asking questions about the real story behind the drama. Inspired by the life of the real Griselda Blanco, who created one of the most powerful cartels in history, 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 was able to expertly navigate her roles and wife and mother as well as business owner, ordering hits at the drop of a hat.
Griselda Blanco has been the subject of multiple films and TV shows, as has another woman involved in high-profile crimes - 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. We've already looked into where Griselda Blanco's children are now, but what of the men in her life? Here's what we know about the ones who dared to marry 'The Godmother'.
What happened to Griselda Blanco's three husbands?
Carlos Trujillo, Alberto Bravo, and Dario Sepúlveda are all dead. Carlos was killed in the early 70s, Alberto was killed in 1975 - as Griselda viewers will know, she allegedly killed him herself - and Dario was killed in 1983, the same year that he and Griselda separated.
All three of Grisleda's husbands were murdered, and it's thought that she was responsible for each of their deaths. Their demises earned Griselda the nickname 'The Black Widow' - here's what is alleged to have happened to each of the men she was involved with...
What happened to Dario Sepúlveda?
The Miami New Times reported that Dario Sepulveda was killed by men dressed as police officers in Medellín, Colombia, in 1983, 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.
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Dario Sepúlveda is a key character in the Griselda series, unlike her first husband Carlos, who doesn't appear at all, and Alberto, who appears briefly. Griselda and her third husband married in 1978 and split in 1983, the same year he was killed. Sepúlveda returned to Medellín that 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.
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.
What happened to Alberto Bravo?
Alberto Bravo was killed with a bullet to the head during a confrontation outside Bogotá, Colombia, in 1975. As per Netflix Tudum, Blanco is alleged to have killed Alberto Bravo herself - again, this was never proven.
It is widely reported that Griselda became 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, resulting in a shoot out.
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.
What happened to Carlos Trujillo?
Carlos Trujillo was killed at some point in the early 1970s. It's been suggested that Blanco had Carlos killed after a 'business dispute', however, she was never charged with the crime and her involvement in Carlos' death remains unproven.
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 had three children together - Osvaldo, Dixon and Uber - who were all born before Griselda turned 21.
According to the Mirror, the family moved to New York at some point during the 1960s, but sometime during the same decade Griselda and Carlos divorced - but remained working together.
Who was the father of Griselda's children?
Griselda Blanco had children with her first husband, Carlos Trujillo, and her third husband, Dario Sepúlveda. Carlos was the father of Griselda's eldest three boys, Dixon Trujillo-Blanco, Uber Trujillo-Blanco, and Osvaldo Trujillo-Blanco.
Griselda's youngest son, Michael Corleone Blanco, was born in 1978 to her third husband, Dario. The crime lord didn't have any children with middle husband, Alberto.
Who is Charles Cosby and is he still alive?
Charles Cosby is a former drug dealer and one person romantically linked to Blanco who remains alive. He began writing to Griselda Blanco in prison in 1991 and the pair struck up a relationship.
In an interview with the Sun, Cosby recalled meeting Blanco when he was in his early twenties and she was in her forties. He claimed 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 revealed to 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."
How did Griselda Blanco die?
Griselda Blanco was shot twice as she exited a butcher shop with her pregnant daughter-in-law, on September 3, 2012, by two mystery assassins on motorbikes. Officials said the style of the killing mimicked a technique Grislda herself was known for during the Miami drug war.
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.
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.
Lucy is a mum-of-two, multi-award nominated writer and blogger with six years’ of experience writing about parenting, family life, and TV. Lucy has contributed content to PopSugar and moms.com. In the last three years, she has transformed her passion for streaming countless hours of television into specialising in entertainment writing. There is now nothing she loves more than watching the best shows on television and sharing why you - and your kids - should watch them.
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