On the one hand, Escobar was a loving family man.

Still, she loved her husband and believed it was her duty to be a good wife and mother. My life, the life of my children is going to be difficult.” Recalling the day she found out Pablo had arranged for the assassination of Justice Minister Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, she says, “I knew that day we were in a huge mess. He had been framed.ĭespite her innocence, Maria recognized that her husband was not the man she thought he was. After he was busted for trying to smuggle cocaine into Ecuador, he feigned naivety, saying that it was his friend who had been responsible for the smuggling. Whether she chose to turn a blind eye or she honestly believed in her husband’s innocence is unclear–but it appears that up until his arrest in 1977, Maria believed Pablo was in the real estate business. Still, in her book, Maria claims that she was kept in the dark as her husband ratcheted up cocaine production. It can be assumed that due to her brother’s business relationship with Pablo, Maria was aware of his drug activities before they ever even got married. Was Maria Aware of Her Husband’s Drug Business? Their daughter, Manuela Escobar, was born seven years later. As a result, the couple was forced to elope, and only a year later, at 16 years old, Maria gave birth to their first child, Juan Pablo Escobar, without the support of her parents and siblings. Their relationship wasn’t all sunshine and roses, though. Due to Carlos’ involvement with Escobar, Maria’s family was well aware of his criminal activities and vehemently opposed the union. Pablo Escobar & Maria Victoria Henao (PHOTO VIA Marriage to Pablo EscobarĪt just 15 years old, Maria married the man she describes as her “soulmate.” In her new book, My Life and Prison with Pablo Escobar, Maria describes how Escobar wooed her with gifts and romantic ballads: “He made me feel like a fairy princess and I was convinced he was my Prince Charming,” she says. Soon, they fell in love and decided to get married.

In 1974, at only 13 years old, Maria met Pablo Escobar through her brother Carlos, who worked with him. She grew up beside her brother, Carlos Mario Henao Vallejo, and sister, Pastora Henao Bayen, and is said to have enjoyed dancing (something she still does in her spare time today). What we can say for sure is that she was born to Carlos Henao Vallejo and his wife Leonor Zuleta in Palmira Valle Del Cauca, Colombia, in 1961. Not a lot is known about intensely-private Maria’s early life.

Maria victoria henao