What happened to Violet Alberts? Suspects arrested in 2022 murder-for-hire plot involving killing of 96-year-old woman

96-year-old Violet Alberts was found dead in 2022, at her Montecito house. NBC News reported that Alberts died in an alleged murder-for-hire plot. The victim died of asphyxiation and she was reportedly tricked into signing over her home. Authorities reportedly found evidence to conclude that her murder was a premeditated one.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office announced on Thursday that they had taken four suspects into custody in connection to the woman's death. As per CBS News, Sheriff Bill Brown revealed that officials spent about 10,424.5 hours on the investigation that led to the arrests of the four suspects.

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Violet Alberts' murder suspects taken into custody in connection to her 2022 death

On May 27, 2022, a horrific discovery was made at a California residence. 96-year-old Violet Alberts was preparing to bake cookies for her birthday when she was brutally killed. Her body was discovered by a caretaker, who soon called the cops. Four people have now been arrested in connection to her death.

The suspects were identified as 48-year-old Pauline Macareno, 58-year-old Harry Basmadjian, 33-year-old Henry Rostomyan, and 41-year-old Ricardo MartinDelCampo.

It is important to note that Macareno was arrested in June 2022 and charged with elder abuse, fraud, and manipulation of legal documents. She was also sentenced to six years in jail for defrauding the victim. The charges with respect to the murder-for-hire plot are yet to be revealed.

NBC News reported that Basmadjian was taken into custody on January 2, Rostomyan was arrested on February 24, and MartinDelCampo, the fourth suspect, was arrested on Thursday, March 7, 2024. The trio was reportedly arrested on charges including murder to conspiracy and solicitation of murder, as per NBC.

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Police believe that Pauline Macareno was the main mastermind behind Violet Alberts' murder

According to investigating officers, Pauline Macareno was a key figure behind the brutal murder. The Sheriff's Office revealed that she illegally acquired the elderly lady's property. Santa Barbara County Sheriff Paul Brown spoke about the investigation and as per the NY Post, he said:

"Through deceptive means, Macareno orchestrated a series of transactions, including forging documents and establishing fraudulent entities to gain control over Alberts’ assets unlawfully."

As per NBC News, Pauline was "referred" to Alberts, who reportedly needed extra money after she "aged out" of her savings. It is, however, unclear who made the referral.

Pauline was then accused of "capitalizing on Alberts' vulnerability" as she tried to illegally establish control of the victim's assets. She reportedly established fraudulent entities and forged documents to do the same, as per NBC News. She allegedly offered Violet Alberts a reverse mortgage and this reportedly "led to the fraudulent acquisition of her property," Brown said.

He didn't reveal the primary motive for the crime but mentioned:

"In the eyes of Pauline Macareno, Ms. Alberts was living too long."

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The case is still an ongoing investigation and further information on the same is awaited.