Woman Given Sentence for Boyfriend’s Death and Burial in Backyard Grave

California Woman Sentenced for Murdering Boyfriend

A 43-year-old woman from Southern California has received a 15-year prison sentence after killing her boyfriend and concealing his body for eight years in a makeshift grave located in her backyard.

In a trial last year, a San Bernardino jury found Trista Spicer guilty of second-degree murder related to the killing of Eric Mercado, who was 42 at the time of his death in October 2014. Reports indicate that the incident escalated when Mercado expressed dissatisfaction with the dinner he was served.

During her testimony, Spicer claimed that an argument broke out over the meal and that Mercado struck her multiple times in the head with a cast-iron skillet. In response, she assaulted him with a frying pan and then stabbed him in the neck with a kitchen knife he had dropped.

Spicer described Mercado as having a history of abusive behavior, which included making her sit naked for extended periods as a form of punishment and control.

After the murder, she alleged that, with a friend’s assistance, they wrapped Mercado’s body in a deflated air mattress and buried it under a concrete staircase in her yard. Furthermore, she reportedly asked her homeless acquaintances to help construct a brick wall in the area designated for the burial.

Despite being reported missing by his family in 2014, it wasn’t until 2022 when Spicer mentioned to her then-boyfriend that the body needed to be removed because her late husband’s family wanted to sell the house. This conversation led her boyfriend to contact the police, prompting a search that uncovered what authorities referred to as a “makeshift grave.”

During the court proceedings, Mercado’s sister, Mahila Torres, delivered a poignant impact statement, labeling Spicer as “an evil person.” She expressed her devastation, saying, “You took my brother’s life and shattered our lives.”