Four people have been arrested in a murder-for-hire plot to kill an elderly woman and gain control of her sprawling California home because she ‘lived too long’.
Violet Evelyn Alberts, 96, was found dead in her bed in her $5 million mansion in May 2022. She had been making cookies for her birthday moments before she was killed.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies began investigating her death when they discovered a broken window inside her Montecito home.
Her body was first discovered by her caretaker. A doctor assessed that it was likely that she suffocated to death in her sleep.
Officials said Thursday that her killing was a murder-for-hire scheme orchestrated by Pauline Macareno, 48, who had previously tried to trick Alberts out of her home.
Harry Basmadjian, 58, Henry Rostomyan, 33, and Ricardo MartinDelCampo, 41, were also charged in connection with the murder.
Violet Evelyn Alberts was found dead in her bed in her Montecito mansion on May 27, 2022
Officials said her killing was a murder-for-hire scheme orchestrated by Pauline Macareno (pictured), who had previously tried to cheat Alberts out of his home
“In Pauline Macareno’s eyes, Miss Alberts lived too long,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said. ‘The acceleration of her death is probably what was behind the murder.’
During the investigation, detectives discovered that MartinDelCampo and Rostomyan had made a scouting trip to Albert’s home on May 24, 2022.
“This crucial discovery shed light on the premeditated nature of the crime and underscored the perpetrators’ calculated efforts to investigate Albert’s home and plan their vicious and reprehensible actions,” Brown said.
Brown said in 2020 that Macareno had tried to gain control of Albert’s assets by committing financial elder abuse.
Macareno was “referred” to Alberts, who needed additional money after she “ran out” of her savings, according to the sheriff.
‘The victim was in a economic hardship situation where she was basically aged out of her savings and she basically had a very valuable home that she was living in, but otherwise she was out of money,’ Brown said.
‘She needed some extra money and was contacted by Pauline Macareno with the scheme to sell her a reverse mortgage.’
Albert’s home is located in an affluent neighborhood known for its famous residents, including Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
KTLA reported Alberts’ home has an estimated value of more than $5 million.
Macareno is currently serving a six-year sentence in state prison for fraud in connection with Alberts’ case.
Harry Basmadjian, Henry Rostomyan and Ricardo MartinDelCampo were also charged in connection with the murder
She was convicted of using an estate scheme to convince Alberts to transfer title to her home to herself.
The sheriff said Alberts was making cookies for her birthday before she died, and the ingredients for those cookies were found on the table when police arrived.
Brown said Alberts was a “lively 96-year-old widow” and a “beloved figure” in the community.
“Violet relied on her friendships and connections in the neighborhood, through which she gained a sense of belonging in a tight-knit community,” Brown said.
“Despite challenges to her memory and cognition, Violet’s spirit remained undaunted.”
“Her love of her home, complete with a pond filled with beloved koi fish that she brought from Beverly Hills, reflected her appreciation of life’s simpler pleasures,” he said.
Rostomyan and MartinDelCampo are currently being held in the Santa Barbara County Jail without bail on charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Basmadjian was arrested on similar charges while being held in federal custody on an unrelated charge.
He subsequently suffered a life-threatening medical emergency that left him totally incapacitated with a grim prognosis, according to the sheriff’s office.
Montecito, an opulent enclave outside of Santa Barbara, is home to some of the world’s most famous and wealthy people—including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Oprah, and Ellen DeGeneres.
