In the annals of true crime, the name Dorothea Puente sends shivers down the spines of many. Back in the 1980s, this seemingly unassuming landlady ran a boarding house in Sacramento, California, which concealed a horrific secret. Located at 1426 F Street Sacramento, the house became synonymous with her gruesome crimes, earning Puente the chilling moniker “Death House Landlady.” But what is it like to live in such a notorious location decades later?
Tom Williams, 71, and Barbara Holmes, 71, are the current owners of 1426 F Street Sacramento, and they have a surprisingly lighthearted perspective on residing in a place with such a dark past. For them, it’s simply home. Their journey to this infamous address was rather unconventional, starting with a cross-country move and a passion for the unusual.
Tom Williams and Barbara Holmes, the current residents of 1426 F Street in Sacramento, California, stand in front of their home, once the boarding house of serial killer Dorothea Puente.
Having married in 2005, Tom and Barbara were looking for a change of pace after running a bookstore in Georgetown, California. The closure of their beloved bookstore prompted a move to a more urban setting. Sacramento, located about 50 miles south of Georgetown, beckoned in 2010. Their search for a larger home to accommodate Barbara’s mother coincided with the aftermath of the Great Recession, making the housing market unpredictable.
“We were looking for something really cheap,” Tom explains, recalling their house hunting experience. They had explored numerous properties before stumbling upon 1426 F Street Sacramento. Initially, their interest was piqued by the house next door, but its need for extensive renovations proved daunting. It was then that the neighboring, similar-looking house with a “for sale” sign caught their eye. Little did they know the history lurking within its walls.
Their realtor, new to the profession, was unaware of the property’s sinister past. Intrigued by the house’s potential and unaware of its history, Tom and Barbara requested a viewing. It wasn’t until they returned home that curiosity led them to research the address online. The shocking truth about 1426 F Street Sacramento and Dorothea Puente’s crimes quickly surfaced. Instead of being repelled, Tom, a true crime enthusiast, was instantly fascinated.
Dorothea Puente, the notorious “Death House Landlady,” is seen during her arraignment at the Sacramento Municipal Court in November 1988, facing homicide charges related to bodies discovered at 1426 F Street.
For Barbara, the practical aspects of the house outweighed its history. The duplex structure, with an upstairs and downstairs unit, was ideal for accommodating her mother. Furthermore, the price was undeniably attractive. Listed at $226,000, a significant drop from its previous value of $560,000 just a few years prior, 1426 F Street Sacramento presented an irresistible opportunity.
Neither Tom nor Barbara felt any unease about the murders committed at the property. Barbara’s mother shared their sentiment, even jokingly suggesting she be buried in the backyard. They viewed the house as just that – a house. The gruesome events were in the past, and they were assured the property had been spiritually cleansed multiple times before their arrival. Having previously owned a bookstore in Georgetown believed to be haunted, they were no strangers to the possibility of lingering spirits, yet they felt no such presence at 1426 F Street Sacramento.
Life inside 1426 F Street Sacramento is surprisingly ordinary for Tom and Barbara. While the house had been refurbished before they moved in, some original features remained. Puente’s upstairs bedroom now serves as their guest room, while their own bedroom occupies what was once her utility room – the place where she laid out the bodies of her victims. The entire floor has been remodeled and thoroughly cleaned, erasing any physical traces of the past.
Humorous signs displayed by Tom Williams and Barbara Holmes in front of 1426 F Street, Sacramento, California, the former boarding house of Dorothea Puente, aiming to lighten the mood of the infamous property.
The stairway, however, remains largely unchanged. It’s the same staircase Puente used to drag bodies down to the backyard. Tom muses about the logistics, doubting he could manage such a task alone, suggesting Puente likely had assistance.
While most people they encounter are accepting of their unusual address, they have received occasional negative comments online and have one relative who refuses to visit 1426 F Street Sacramento. However, their neighbors are largely unfazed, many having moved to the area after Puente’s time. One former neighbor, who lived on the street during Puente’s reign, shared stories, including one about seeing her with bandages after plastic surgery funded by her victims’ stolen money.
Through local accounts and research, Tom and Barbara have pieced together a picture of Dorothea Puente as a manipulative and “evil character.” They learned of her ability to deceive people, including law enforcement, and her calculated facade of communityHelper. Puente was known to donate to charities, often with items stolen from her victims, creating a false image of benevolence.
Understanding the morbid curiosity surrounding 1426 F Street Sacramento, Tom and Barbara have chosen to embrace it with humor. They’ve placed a mannequin dressed as Puente outside and installed humorous signs around the property. This lighthearted approach is their way of coping with the darkness and deflecting any stigma associated with living in the infamous “Death House.”
Humorous signs adorn 1426 F Street, Sacramento, California, Tom and Barbara’s home and formerly Dorothea Puente’s boarding house, reflecting their approach to dealing with the property’s history.
Tourists frequently stop by 1426 F Street Sacramento, a phenomenon Tom and Barbara understand and accept, being true crime enthusiasts themselves. They draw parallels to their own visits to sites like the Charles Manson house and gangster crime tours in Chicago. They welcome respectful curiosity but draw the line at trespassing or disruptive behavior.
Tom and Barbara have conducted only two tours inside 1426 F Street Sacramento, both for non-profit purposes. One benefited the historical society, and the other a homeless shelter – a deliberate act to aid the vulnerable population Puente preyed upon. It’s their way of turning a dark history into something positive and, perhaps, delivering a final symbolic blow to Dorothea Puente’s legacy. Living at 1426 F Street Sacramento is a unique experience, one that Tom and Barbara navigate with a blend of acceptance, humor, and a grounded perspective.
The house at 1426 F Street, Sacramento, California, once Dorothea Puente’s boarding house and the site of her horrific crimes, now a residential home drawing curious visitors.
Tom Williams, 71, and Barbara Holmes, 72, currently reside at 1426 F Street in Sacramento, California, the former residence of serial killer Dorothea Puente.
The views expressed are those of the homeowners, as told to Monica Greep.
