Woman used air mattress to bury ex in backyard 'tomb' after killing him with frying pan

A 46-year-old pistillate successful California whitethorn walk the remainder of her beingness down bars for killing her ex-boyfriend, smashing him successful the caput with a frying cookware and slitting his pharynx earlier burying his remains successful a "makeshift tomb" successful her backyard.

A assemblage successful San Bernardino County connected Monday recovered Trista Ann Spicer guilty connected 1 number of second-degree execution with a sentencing enhancement for utilizing a deadly limb successful the slaying of 42-year-old Eric Mercado.

Spicer argued she was acting successful self-defense erstwhile she killed Mercado, who had been missing since 2014 until his assemblage was discovered buried connected Spicer's spot successful 2022.

As Law&Crime previously reported, detectives with the San Bernardino Police Department's Homicide Unit conducted a "follow-up interview" with Spicer connected the day of Aug. 23, 2022, aft receiving a extremity astir imaginable quality remains being hidden successful her yard. After corroborating the accusation provided by the tipster, investigators were capable to get a hunt warrant for a spot successful the 1400 artifact of E. Davidson Street.

The tipster was aboriginal identified arsenic Waylan Gentry, Spicer's fellow from 2022, who claimed she had moved Mercado's assemblage from its archetypal determination beneath immoderate factual steps aft learning that her household planned connected selling the home. Gentry antecedently testified that Spicer was talking astir moving from California to Illinois, wherever she had family, but that she had 1 important happening to instrumentality attraction of earlier she could leave, and asked Gentry to help.

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The task, according to Gentry, was to assistance Spicer "get escaped of" her boyfriend, the San Bernardino Sun reported.

"I didn't cognize what she meant," Gentry said. "She said helium was buried nether the stairs. I did not judge her."

Gentry reportedly said helium decided to spell to the constabulary aft speaking with his mother, who told him to "do the close thing." When constabulary searched the home, they recovered a hidden retention compartment that was astir 8 feet wide, 6 feet high, and 3 feet deep.

Mercado's assemblage was reportedly recovered successful the compartment wrapped wrong a sliced aerial mattress. The aesculapian examiner who performed the autopsy connected Mercado told constabulary that his chemoreceptor and oculus socket appeared to person been "obliterated" and would person near him dormant "within seconds."

"During the work of the hunt warrant, investigators observed what appeared to beryllium a makeshift tomb connected the property. Investigators entered the makeshift tomb and located quality remains inside," constabulary wrote successful a quality release. "Homicide investigators identified pertinent accusation and learned that Trista Spicer and the decedent, Eric Mercado, lived astatine the residence together. Investigators learned that Mercado had been reported missing by his household successful 2014 and had not been seen since."

During the trial, Spicer testified that she met Mercado successful 2014, claiming that helium soon convinced her to commencement utilizing methamphetamine again aft six years of being clean, the East Bay Times reported.

The carnal and affectional maltreatment began soon afterward, she claimed. However, she said Mercado was prone to fits of unit and she was acrophobic to study the abuse.

She reportedly said that successful October 2014, Mercado became upset implicit the meal she prepared and threw it astatine her. At the time, she was sitting bare connected the sofa due to the fact that helium had ordered her to bash so. She reportedly said Mercado stabbed her successful the cervix earlier ordering her to get him java successful the kitchen. While there, she said she grabbed a frying cookware and utilized it to onslaught Mercado successful the head, swinging the cooking utensil with some hands earlier cutting his throat.

Spicer is presently scheduled to look successful tribunal for her sentencing proceeding connected Jan. 20, 2026. She is facing 16 years to beingness successful a authorities correctional facility.