In a truly astounding tale of love gone awry, Netflix’s Worst Ex Ever delves into the disturbing story of Mei Li, Eric and Rosa Hill, and an innocent woman caught in the middle.
A follow-up to the popular show Worst Roommate Ever, the upcoming documentary series investigates the complexities of romantic relationships by showcasing four instances of treachery, dishonesty, and aggression.
The events that ensued resulted in a manhunt that resulted in the deaths of three individuals.
In Episode 3, ‘Killing for Custody’, the attention shifts towards a nefarious scheme that must be witnessed to be comprehended. Caution: certain individuals may find this material disturbing.
Where are Mei and Rosa now?
Rosa Hill, 71, and her daughter Mei Li, 49, are both incarcerated at the Central California Women’s Facility, a correctional facility exclusively for women situated in Chowchilla.
On June 28, 2011, Rosa was convicted of the 2009 homicide of 91-year-old Selma “Sally” Hill and the attempted homicide of Eric Hill, resulting in a 25-year to life imprisonment.
At the same time, Mei, her mother, was found guilty of premeditated attempted murder and is currently serving a life sentence.
Rosa and Mei’s ‘Operation Custody’ Murders
Following her ex-husband Eric Hill’s complete custody of their daughter, Rosa devised a malicious scheme known as Operation Custody, which entailed the murder of Eric’s grandmother Sally.
In Worst Ex Ever, Eric recounts his introduction to Rosa through his colleague Mei. At first, their relationship bloomed and he began constructing the ideal life he had always envisioned.
Despite exhibiting some signs of controlling behavior, it did not deter Eric from marrying her in April 2005.
Eric and Rosa’s relationship was good initially
Just a little over a year later, the couple welcomed their first daughter. During this time, Eric was juggling two jobs to support their family, leaving him with minimal sleep. Despite his efforts to balance everything, their conflicts intensified and Rosa began to consider separation.
Rosa started bringing their daughter to her parents’ home, resulting in Eric returning to an empty house. In 2007, they decided to separate and Rosa gained control of their assets.
A couple of months passed and Rosa denied Eric access to their daughter on her first birthday. This prompted him to take legal action and seek custody. In response, Rosa fabricated a false story and sent an email to Eric’s workplace, falsely accusing him of plotting a shooting.
During the investigation, he was suspended and it was ultimately determined that the allegations were false. Following the court’s decision to grant a 50/50 split of custody between the two, Rosa took things a step further by accusing Eric of child abuse.
After once again proving the claims to be false, Eric was granted full custody, causing a further escalation of events.
On January 7, 2009, Sally’s home was broken into by Rosa and Mei. They proceeded to tase her and strangle her to death, and then wrapped her body in a tarp before leaving it in a trashcan located in the backyard shed.
Upon Eric’s arrival at the house with his daughter, he immediately began searching for his grandma on the second floor. However, he was confronted by an ambush from Rosa and Mei. In an attempt to defend himself, Rosa brandished a gun at him.
The police eventually reached the location and discovered blood spatter all over. At first, they were unable to determine the identity of the victim or the perpetrator.
Upon taking all parties into custody, detectives proceeded to search the property and made a significant discovery in the yard – Sally’s body and a backpack. The backpack contained various items, including rope, crossbows, a hunting knife, a throwing star, and a crowbar.
The investigation uncovered evidence that tied Rosa and Mei to the crime
After discovering Rosa’s car a short distance away, authorities uncovered several alarming items including a samurai sword and leg irons. Upon questioning Rosa, it became clear to police that she was not being truthful.
After the authorities uncovered a hidden Brentwood location where Mei and Rosa had been receiving mail, the case began to fall into place.
There was a plethora of evidence linking them to the crime, including various weapons and a firearm tag discovered in Rosa’s possession.
In addition, several questionable notes were discovered, one of which outlined plans for “avenging Rosa.”The list of names mentioned in the note included Eric, Sally, and Gregory Hill – the father of Eric and the son of Sally.
According to the detectives in Worst Ex Ever, the plan had been carefully crafted over the course of weeks, and possibly even months.
It seemed that both individuals were motivating each other. While this is mere conjecture, one could draw similarities to folie à deux, an uncommon psychological condition where two or more individuals in a close relationship share a particular delusion.
Lead prosecutor Casey Bates explains that Rosa and her mother devised a plan, called Operation Custody, to regain legal custody of Rosa Hill’s child after losing them to Eric.
Rosa and Mei put together their plan, Operation Custody
The plan was to frame Eric for the murder of his grandmother by making him confess to the act. This was in response to the grandmother confronting him about the sexual abuse of his child, causing him to become enraged and kill her.
“He added that their plan involved Eric Hill taking his own life during the moment of despair, leaving Rosa Hill as the only legal custodian.”
“The well-being of a 91-year-old woman, who was completely blameless, was disregarded. She became entangled in a bigger scheme to obtain custody of her child.”
The heartbreaking reason the police were called
On the day of Sally’s death, 91-year-old Lester Rowe, her boyfriend, was the first to sense that something was wrong as the two had a daily tradition of calling each other at the same time for their “cocktail hour.”
Despite the fact that Eric’s grandfather had passed away a few years before, Lester and Sally had been in a relationship for over 10 years.
They would split their time equally between each others’ homes, spending approximately four days of the week together. If they were apart, they made sure to call each other precisely at 4pm to chat and share a drink.
Lester and Sally loved each other
On January 7, 2009, at 4pm, Lester became worried when Sally did not answer his call. He left multiple voicemails over the next hour and eventually asked his son and daughter-in-law, Jeff and Ute Rowe, to check on her as his concern grew.
The couple had started searching the house and had gone upstairs before Eric arrived. As they were upstairs, they heard what they thought was a gunshot, but it was actually the sound of Rosa using her taser on Eric. In a panic, they quickly ran to a neighbor’s house to call 911.
After the tragedy, Lester was left heartbroken. Eric remarked, “Lester truly cared for Sally, and her passing devastated him.”According to Gregory, he had witnessed Lester speaking to an urn containing Sally’s ashes multiple times.
Just shy of a year following Sally’s death, Lester also passed away. Gregory reflects, “I am grateful that they were able to find each other and share the last 11 years of their lives together.”
Eric and his daughter have moved on
Despite the understandable trauma caused by the incident for both Eric and his daughter, he assures that they have both recovered and have been able to successfully move forward in their lives.
Eric has been able to be a good father to his daughter
In the Netflix documentary, when asked about his current state, Eric responds, “I am doing well, I feel wonderful. I have been a devoted father and have been blessed with a loving family.”
“It’s ironic that I have lived the very life that Rosa and I dreamed of, while she was unable to experience any of it.”
Despite the challenges of being a single father, Eric recognizes that his daughter has developed into an exceptional woman.
“He finishes by saying that she has a talented artistic ability and a strong, dependable personality. He expresses pride in having played a significant role in her development.”
You can now watch Worst Ex Ever on Netflix.
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