The creepy story behind new Netflix true crime series Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta?

Netflix has just released its latest true crime series, called Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta? The four-part series tells the story of a death which shook Argentina, and her death to this day remains unsolved.

The sociologist was killed in 2002 and still the killer is yet to be found. The case became one of most controversial criminal cases in Argentinian history. At first police believed it may have been her husband, and he did go to prison for the crime, however he was later acquitted because of DNA analysis.

So who was Maria Marta and what happened to her?

Maria Marta Garcia Belsunce was a sociologist and charity worker

Maria Marta Garcia Belsunce was an Argentinian socialite. She worked as a sociologist and charity worker, and lived in the gated community at Carmel Country Club, located in Pilar, Buenos Aires. She lived there with her husband, Carlos Carrascosa, who she married in 1971 when she was 19 and he was 27. The couple did not have any children.

Maria Marta was killed in 2002, but who did it?

On October 27th 2002, she was found dead in her home at the age of 50. Her body was discovered in the bath by her husband, who had been watching a football match with her parents. At first it was believed the death was an accident, and that she had fallen in the bath and hit her head on a tap. Because there was no suspicion of foul play, her family signed a pre-made death certificate to make the burial process easier. It was Marta’s step brother who asked for the investigation to be made more thorough.

After this request, it was found that Maria Marta had in fact been shot five times in the head before being left in the bath. Her family then believed she had become victim to a robbery gone wrong.

However police thought the murder had been committed by Marta’s husband, Carlos Carrascosa. They believed other family members had helped him to cover up the crime when it was found that glue had been used to cover her wounds. Marta’s half brother told investigators he had found a “thingy” in the bathroom on that day – which later turned out to be a bullet.

Carlos was arrested in 2003 and went on trial for murder. It was alleged that Carrascosa killed his wife with two accomplices because she discovered he was laundering money for Mexico’s Juarez drug cartel and wanted to cover it up. He maintained his innocence but was found guilty of aggravated homicide by bond in 2004 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Carlos was first acquitted in 2007. This was later overturned and he was found guilty again. He spent five years in jail before being acquitted again in 2016. DNA evidence had found that he did not match the samples of blood which were found at the scene. He had always stuck by the same alibi of being elsewhere when the murder took place.

18 years on and the mystery remains unsolved. The Netflix documentary series Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta follows the police attempts to find out what really happened to her. It features interviews with Maria Marta’s family and the prosecutors who worked on the case. It also addresses a number of theories surrounding her confusing death.

The Netflix synopsis reads: “A woman is found dead in her bathtub, with a puddle of blood nearby. Her husband theorises she had an accident. But an autopsy tells a different story.”

Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta? is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Where is Carlos Carrascosa now? The husband in Netflix’s Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta?

• Where is the Carmel Country Club from Netflix’s series about Maria Marta?

• Ranked: The best true crime documentaries on Netflix, according to Rotten Tomatoes