Maria Pearson was born on 12 March 1956 in Hartlepool, England. 

Maria Pearson, from Hartlepool, became known for committing a serious crime in 1986. After her marriage to Malcolm Pearson ended shortly after they had a child, she became very angry and jealous when he started dating 23-year-old Janet Newton. Maria expressed her hostility by stalking Janet, yelling insults at her, and even sending hate mail to Janet's mother.

On the day of the murder, Maria attacked Janet with a sheath knife on Grange Road in Hartlepool. She stabbed Janet seventeen times, including two fatal stabs to the heart. The violence of the attack was so severe that the police first believed it might have been a vehicle accident when they arrived at the scene.

Maria Pearson was arrested and charged with murder soon after. In 1987, she was sentenced to life in prison. Following her conviction, she attempted to appeal it in 1988, claiming she was not guilty due to her mental state. Over the years, she changed her story to argue that she acted in self-defense because of post-natal depression and pre-menstrual tension. However, all her appeals were denied, including her attempts to the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

In 2004, she was moved to an open prison, but due to her disruptive behavior, she was quickly moved back to a closed prison. Similar incidents occurred in 2021 when she was again sent back after showing poor behavior. Over the years, she tried to get released numerous times, but each attempt was rejected due to her ongoing aggressive actions and refusal to acknowledge her guilt. As of 2023, Maria Pearson was noted as the longest-serving female prisoner in the UK, having been refused parole nine times. The last rejection came after officials remarked on her inability to manage her behavior and her lack of remorse regarding her past actions.