96-year-old Violet Evelyn Alberts was found dead in her longtime Montecito, California home. A broken window indicated a home invasion.
Her cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation.
“This case is the finest example of a ‘who done it’ murder, with absolutely no information up front,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said during a press conference on Thursday.
Sheriff Brown said investigators believe the main suspect, 48-year-old Pauline Macareno, gained Albert’s trust under the guise of helping her with a reverse mortgage on her home.
Instead, Brown said Macareno was gaining access to Albert’s property and assets through a real estate fraud scheme.
Macareno was arrested in 2022 and is serving a six-year sentence for fraud charges but Brown said additional charges may be filed.
Several more arrests have been made this year in connection with Alberts’ murder.
Harry Basmadjian was arrested on January 2, 2024, for his involvement in the conspiracy to murder Violet Alberts.
Henry Rostomyan was arrested on February 27 for conspiracy to murder and murder charges, and lastly, Ricardo MartinDelCampo was arrested on March 5, 2024.
The sheriff said that just days before Alberts’ death, Rostomyan and MartinDelCampo made a scouting trip to her home on May 24, 2022, indicating to investigators that she was the target of a murder-for-hire scheme.
All three men are currently in custody. However, Brown said that while in custody, Basmadjian suffered a medical emergency that left him “essentially brain dead.”
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office
The connection between all four suspects is still under investigation.
Sheriff Brown asked anyone who has additional information about this case to contact detectives. To submit a tip, visit sbsheriff.org.
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