On the morning of August 16, 2017, Antonio Navarro Cerdán, a 36-year-old industrial engineer, left his home to go to work in Valencia, Spain. He lived in the Patraix neighborhood with his wife, María Jesús Moreno Cantó—known as Maje. Antonio never even started the car: he was ambushed in the building’s garage by a man who had been hiding among the vehicles. Stabbed in the chest, he died at the scene.
From the start, police ruled out robbery as a motive—nothing had been taken. The case quickly took a dark turn, revealing a carefully orchestrated plot, with the widow Maje at its center. This real-life story of betrayal, manipulation, and premeditated murder inspired the new Spanish thriller A Widow’s Game (La Viuda Negra), premiering May 30 on Netflix.
Here’s everything you need to know about the true crime behind the Netflix film.
The widow
At the time of Antonio’s murder, Maje was 27 years-old and described as sweet, vain, and charismatic. A nurse at a city hospital, she appeared in the media as a young widow devastated by a senseless tragedy. She publicly expressed disbelief over the brutality of the murder. But investigators were struck by her calm and calculated demeanor during early questioning. Reports noted that her emotional responses didn’t align with those of someone in mourning.
The investigation focused on the victim’s inner circle and soon revealed that Maje was leading a double life. Despite her image as a devoted wife, she was engaged in multiple extramarital affairs. One of them, with Salvador Rodrigo Lapiedra, a janitor at her hospital, became key to the case. Salvador was deeply in love with Maje, who fueled his feelings with promises of a future together and alleged stories of domestic abuse. Phone taps uncovered incriminating conversations between the two, making it clear they had planned Antonio’s murder in advance.
The premeditated crime
Maje convinced Salvador to carry out the murder. He hid in the couple’s building garage in Valencia, armed with a kitchen knife, while Maje was away from the home. Salvador waited, and when Antonio came down, ambushed and stabbed him to death. Maje had told her lover the times her husband usually left, which routes he took, and even gave him the garage keys.
The crime was meticulously planned. The murder weapon was discarded in a cesspit on Salvador’s property and would only be recovered months later, with his help, after his confession.
The fall of the Black Widow of Patraix
Maje and Salvador were arrested in January 2018. Initially, Salvador tried to protect her, but changed his story after learning she had become romantically involved with another inmate while in custody. In a new statement, he admitted to committing the murder with Maje’s full support and encouragement.
“In my previous statement, I said it was all my idea. But it was both of us,” says Salvador in a real recording from the hearing revealed at the end of the movie.
According to Salvador, Maje portrayed herself as a victim of psychological and physical abuse. She told him that if her husband died, she would be free without going through a divorce — which would leave her without a widow’s pension or inheritance.
Maje denied any involvement in her husband’s death. But the court found overwhelming evidence—including text messages, phone calls, and witness testimonies—that dismantled her version and pointed to a jointly planned crime.
In October 2020, Maje was sentenced to 22 years in prison for murder with the aggravating circumstance of kinship. Salvador received a 17 year sentence, with time reduced for cooperating with the investigation. Both were ordered to pay €250,000 (approximately $282.437,50 USD) in damages to Antonio’s family. A jury found them both guilty, highlighting Maje’s psychological manipulation of her lover as a decisive factor.
After the crime
While serving her sentence, Maje became pregnant by another inmate. In July 2023, she gave birth at the General Hospital of Alicante under police custody. After the delivery, she was transferred to the mother-child unit at Fontcalent prison, where she can stay with her baby until the child turns three years old.
The baby’s father is David, a prisoner convicted of a 2008 murder. Maje and David met during her previous time at Picassent prison, where they began a relationship.
The nickname “Black Widow of Patraix” was given to Maje due to the nature of the crime: she allegedly manipulated her lover into murdering her husband, luring him into a carefully planned trap. The name refers to the black widow spider, whose female is known for killing the male after mating — a metaphor that underscores the cold and calculated betrayal at the heart of the case.
The post The Shocking True Story Behind Netflix’s A Widow’s Game appeared first on TIME.
