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Netflix’s Angi: The Killer Who Staged Crimes, Stole Identities, and Fooled Everyone

BBG News

In 2008, the tragic demise of a fashion designer in a Barcelona flat uncovered one of the chilliest and most unsettling crimes to have occurred in modern Spanish chronicles. The culprit was none other than a woman who concealed her true identity under various pseudonyms, fabricated lives, and possessed an extraordinary knack for deceiving others. This is the tale of María Ángeles Molina, more commonly known as Angi, the central figure in Angi: Fake Life, True Crime, a Netflix documentary set to air on May 1st.

Over two installments, director Carlos Agulló delves into an appalling case that sent shockwaves across the nation: the murder of Ana Páez. Not only did Molina take her life, but he also exploited her for a deceptive scheme involving fabricated identities, bogus insurance policies, and a web of deceit as intricate as it was heartless.

The murder of Ana Páez

Ana, aged 35, was a fashion designer who considered Angi to be not just a friend but also a mentor and someone she trusted implicitly. They had known each other for approximately ten years following their encounter at the same firm, and their friendship had deepened with time. Angi came across as a prosperous entrepreneur, well-cultured, and generous, often heaping praise upon Ana. However, what Ana didn’t realize was that Angi harbored a scheme to assume her identity and eventually take over her life.

On February 19, 2008, Ana’s lifeless body was discovered in a rented Barcelona apartment. She was found without clothes, with a plastic bag covering her head secured with duct tape, which initially led investigators to believe they were dealing with a sexual crime. However, closer examination of the evidence revealed a meticulously planned act. Minutes before the murder, surveillance footage showed Angi entering a bank, wearing a wig and withdrawing €600 from Ana’s account.

Subsequently, she chose to travel by Porsche towards Zaragoza, a destination significant as it held her father’s cremated remains – he had passed away the previous year. The court believed this journey was meticulously planned as part of an alibi. Upon returning to her apartment, Molina covertly administered an unspecified drug to Ana before silencing her with a suffocating act.

Staging a crime that never happened

In an attempt to disguise her involvement in a murder, Angi devised a strategy by fabricating a sexual assault scenario. To execute this plan, she hired two individuals from a brothel in Barcelona and acquired their semen samples, which she then placed at the crime scene. However, the investigators swiftly exposed the deception as they followed the evidence trail. The facts consistently implicated Angi, and during interrogation, she provided several inconsistent accounts of the events.

Initially, she asserted that she was purchasing a watch from El Corte Inglés during the time of the murder. However, later on, she declared she had actually stopped to buy yogurt instead. One of the case’s most peculiar statements—delivered with an unnerving calmness—was when she told the court, “I am nothing without yogurts or condensed milk.” This statement left both the victim’s family and the judges in disbelief.

The fraud scheme

In connection with a larger financial scam, the murder was orchestrated as a means to an end. Prior to Ana’s demise, Molina had submitted false documents to secure numerous loans and insurance policies in Ana’s name. Some of these policies held substantial payout amounts. The intent behind this scheme was obvious: eliminate Ana, take on her identity, and reap the financial benefits.

Additionally, Molina assumed the identity of another individual named Susana B. It is claimed that he obtained Susana’s private details when she inadvertently left copies of her documents at a photocopying service. Subsequently, he exploited this information to establish bank accounts and carry out fraudulent financial transactions.

In the bathroom of Molina’s residence, investigators uncovered significant pieces of evidence such as Ana’s concealed papers behind the water tank and a closed container of chloroform – all pointing towards prior planning in the case under investigation.

The trial

In 2012, the court determined beyond any reasonable doubt that the evidence presented, which was both substantial and pertinent, identified Molina as the culprit. As a result, he was given a 22-year prison sentence: 18 years for homicide and 4 years for document fraud.

A suspicious past

The murder of Ana Páez prompted authorities to revisit a past case: the 1996 demise of her husband, Juan Antonio Álvarez Litben. This 45-year-old entrepreneur passed away unexpectedly under mysterious circumstances. The fresh examination has brought forth significant doubts about Molina’s role, given that she inherited his wealth. However, due to lack of concrete evidence, the matter remains unresolved.

A life of deception

Over time, Molina created numerous personas. She would assert herself as a psychologist, lawyer, cancer patient undergoing treatment, a mother to fictitious children, and a survivor of abuse. At times, she would even stage pregnancies and leverage social media to bolster her intricate deceptions. Essentially, she was constantly performing in the world of her own fabricated reality.

Agulló described the process of researching for Angi as similar to moving through a labyrinth filled with mirrors. He explained that they went through over 2,000 pages of legal documents, reports, and family files, and had more than 60 interviews with former police officers, detectives, and individuals connected to both cases. This investigation was complex due to the numerous aspects involved, much like Angi’s multiple identities.

Rather than merely retelling a criminal tale, the book “Angi: Fake Life, True Crime” unveils how a woman skillfully deceived various systems, friendships, and relatives to maintain a life built on deceit. An extraordinary story that straddles the line between believable and real.

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2025-05-02 02:06

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