What happened
Gregorio Cárdenas Hernández killed four women in Mexico City in 1942 and became one of the country’s earliest nationally famous serial-murder defendants.
The investigation
Police found victims buried at a property associated with him after the disappearance of a young woman. The case generated extensive psychiatric and legal debate.
What the courts or investigators concluded
Cárdenas was convicted and spent decades in prison and psychiatric institutions before eventually receiving release.
Why the case remains significant
His case became a long-running Mexican reference point in criminal psychiatry, rehabilitation and the media construction of the “celebrity criminal.”
Case context
Crime by Region organizes cases geographically so readers can move from one file to other investigations from the same country. For unresolved or contested cases, the wording above reflects the distinction between confirmed events, investigative theories and findings actually established in court.