Woman Killed ‘abusive’ Boyfriend And Buried Him Under Staircase After He Complained About Her Cooking

A female who killed her fellow and buried him successful a makeshift tomb successful confederate California much than a decade agone has been jailed for 15 years.

Trista Spicer told a proceedings she killed Eric Mercado astatine her location successful San Bernardino aft he complained astir nan beans and meat she had cooked him.

Spicer said she past hid Mercado - who she claimed had a history of physically and verbally abusing her - nether a actual staircase successful her backyard pinch thief from a friend. A ceramic wall was past built to efficaciously entomb nan corpse, which went undetected for years.

Mercado was killed successful October 2014, pinch his concerned family reporting him missing astatine nan time.

However, nan 42 year-old’s assemblage was only discovered successful 2022, aft nan San Bernardino Police Department received a extremity astir quality remains astatine nan property. Upon obtaining a hunt warrant, officers entered nan location and recovered nan tomb.

Chad Holgate, a SBPD officer, said he noticed a slab of wood fixed to a doorway, beneath which laic a information patch, The San Bernardino Sun reported. Mercado’s assemblage was wrapped successful an air mattress that had been trim open, nan tribunal heard.

Tiffany Montez, an SBPD detective, testified that Mercado’s chemoreceptor and oculus socket had been “obliterated.” A aesculapian examiner said he suffered a rustle to his caput that would person killed him successful seconds.

Spicer was arrested successful September 2022 and subsequently charged pinch murder.

The proceedings heard that during nan fatal altercation, Mercado had hurled nan repast astatine his woman and ordered her to beryllium naked connected a couch, The San Bernardino Sun reported.

The tribunal heard that erstwhile he past told her to fetch him coffee, Spicer headed to nan room and retrieved a skillet to onslaught him pinch earlier cutting his throat.

Spicer had claimed Mercado had fled nan location pursuing an argument, according to San Bernardino County District Attorney Senior Investigator Erick Bennett.

Mercado’s friends claimed during nan proceedings that he had been a convulsive man, pinch Spicer saying she was excessively frightened of her ex-boyfriend to study abuse.

Spicer besides testified she had flooded a six-year agelong addiction to meth earlier gathering Mercado astatine nan opening of 2014. Weeks into gathering him, Spicer says she relapsed aft he offered her drugs. Mercado began to some verbally and physically maltreatment Spicer soon after, she told nan court.

Mercado’s sister, Mahira Torres, described Spicer arsenic “evil” arsenic she addressed San Bernardino Superior Court connected Friday.

“You took my brother’s life, and you shattered ours,” Torres said, per The San Bernardino Sun. She went connected to picture her precocious relative arsenic a loving begetter to 2 children.

Torres added that life sewage “harder and harder” for her family during nan years successful which Mercado was missing.

“My family went 8 years trying to get answers, and it seemed for illustration everybody knew astir it isolated from his adjacent family,” she said.

In a connection publication by a unfortunate advocate, Mercado’s mother Guadalupe Plascencia said she felt pity for Spicer.

“You will ne'er beryllium capable to understand nan tremendous symptom that you person caused - nan bitterness that overcomes my mind,” Plascencia said.

“And you will ne'er understand it, because you deficiency feelings, sensitivity and empathy.”

Spicer, 46, was handed a 15-year situation sentence, aft being convicted of second-degree execution successful November, according to tribunal records obtained by The LA Times. Spicer’s attorneys person revenge an entreaty against nan sentence, according to nan records.