Naman Shrestha
Just as the friendship between Rosa and Eric Hill turned into marriage, their marriage turned into an intense custody battle for their daughter. When the former tried to keep the child’s father out of the picture, her plans backfired. Thus, with the help of her mother, Mei Li, Rosa planned something sinister, which included murder. The complicated case is covered in detail on Netflix’s ‘Worst Ex Ever: Killing for Custody,’ which also features interviews with the loved ones of the victim, including Eric Hill himself.
Eric and Rosa Hill’s Relationship Soured a Few Years Into Their Marriage
In 2002, Mei Li invited several of her co-workers from the social services department, including Eric Hall, to join her on a hike. During the hike, Mei’s daughter, Rosa, got acquainted with Eric, and they developed a close friendship over the next few months. Soon, their friendship turned into a romantic relationship. Despite the disapproval of his family and friends, on Valentine’s Day 2004, Eric asked for her hand in marriage, and more than a year later, on April 2, 2005, the couple got married and began a new phase of their lives.
During their honeymoon, Rosa displayed her true self when she threw a punch in the direction of Eric when they got into a heated argument. She gave birth to their daughter on June 21, 2006, but instead of bringing them closer, parenthood pulled them further apart. As the marriage deteriorated with each passing day, Rosa threatened to divorce him and left him with their daughter to live with her parents. When she refused to let Eric attend their daughter’s birthday, he sued her for custody. This turned out in his favor as after several months, he had the majority of the custody, despite her alleging that he was sexually abusing their daughter and claiming that he was planning to enact a shooting.
Mei Li and Rosa Hill Mapped Out a Deadly Plan to Win Back the Custody of Hill’s Daughter
Frustrated at the situation, Rosa devised a plan called “Operation Custody,” which involved murdering Eric’s innocent grandmother, Selma “Sally” Hill. They decided on January 7, 2009, to be the day of the execution of her sinister plan. She broke into the residence of Sally and Eric and strangled the former to death before her husband arrived and placed her in a garbage bin in the backyard shed. Soon, Eric arrived home and was ambushed by Rosa and Mei while he was looking for his grandmother. The mother-daughter duo kept beating him with a baton and kicking him until he got a hold of the baton and hit Mei with it several times. That’s when Rosa pulled out a gun on him.
When the police arrived at the scene, they had a hard time figuring out who the perpetrator was and who the victim was. Thus, they took all three individuals into custody. Upon searching the property, not only did they find the body of Sally, but they also found Rosa’s backpack, which consisted of suspicious items like a hunting knife, a crowbar, crossbows, and rope. As they delved deeper into the lives of the mother and her daughter, they came across several notes that contained the names of numerous members of the Hill family. In light of the incriminating evidence against them, the police charged Rosa Hill and Mei Li with the murder of Sally and the attempted murder of Eric.
Mei Li and Rosa Hill Are Incarcerated at the Same Prison Facility in California
A couple of years after her arrest, in June 2011, Rosa Hill stood trial for the murder and attempted murder charge. For weeks, the prosecution and the defense presented their arguments to the jury. After listening to both sides, the jury deliberated and returned with a guilty verdict for the defendant on June 28, 2011, and convicted her of the murder of Selma “Sally” Hill and the attempted murder of Eric Hill. As a result, she was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Her mother, Mei Li, was also convicted of the premeditated murder of Sally and the attempted murder of her son-in-law. She, too, received the same life sentence as her daughter. In an unexpected turn of events, Rosa testified that her mother only assisted her after the murder, not during. Thus, Mei’s murder conviction was reportedly overturned in 2015 as there was stronger evidence that she was just an accessory to murder after the fact. Both Mei and Rosa are serving their respective sentences at Central California Women’s Facility. While the former’s parole suitability hearing is set for March 2025, Rosa’s is scheduled for July 2029.
Read More: Sally Hill: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?
