Edhat Staff
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown held a press conference on Thursday announcing the arrests of four individuals connected to the murder of an elderly Montecito woman.
Violet Evelyn Alberts, 96 and a longtime resident, was found deceased in her residence at 909 Park Lane on May 27, 2022.
“She was a vibrant 96-year-old widow. A cherished figure in the Montecito community,” said Brown. “Despite her age she remained active and engaged and was known for her warm demeanor and social nature.”
Following the passing of her husband, David Alberts, in 1993 she sought solace in the Santa Barbara area where she began a new chapter of her life, said Brown. Without any immediate family nearby she relied on her local friendships and connections.
“Despite facing challenges with her memory and cognition, Violet’s spirit remained undaunted,” said Brown. “This was evident in her plans to celebrate her upcoming birthday by baking fresh cookies.”
Brown went on to say the ingredients for those cookies were found on the table on May 27, 2022, when Sheriff’s Deputies responding to a distressing call to check on Alberts’ welfare. Deputies found Alberts dead in her bed with a shattered window adjacent to the rear door.
The autopsy determined the cause of death was asphyxiation and the manner was homicide.
Brown said the investigation began and intensified. Detectives pursued leads “tirelessly” and discovered a “tangled evil web of financial exploitation against [Alberts].”
Pauline Macareno, 48 of Porter Ranch, emerged as a central figure in the manipulation and deceitful targeting of Alberts, said Brown.
In 2020 Macareno “capitalized on Alberts’ vulnerability with financial elder abuse leading to fraudulent acquisition of her property.” Macareno allegedly orchestrated a series of transactions including forging documents and establishing fraudulent entities to gain control over assets.
Brown said he couldn’t disclose much more information but did say Alberts had a valuable home but had otherwise ran out of money other than social security income. Macareno was referred to Alberts with a scheme to sell her a reverse mortgage that was not typical of what you’d find from a financial institution. In the process of doing this, Macareno forged documents, signatures, and “took extreme advantage.”
While Brown wouldn’t elaborate on the motivation for murder, he said Alberts appeared to be living too long in the eyes of Macareno.
During the investigation, detectives determined this to be a targeted murder-for-hire scheme, as was evidenced by a “scouting trip” three days prior by two suspects: Henry Rostomyan and Ricardo Martin DelCampo.
Brown stated the two men surveyed the home and planned the crime establishing deliberate intent to murder the victim.
In June of last year, the Sheriff’s Office issued several public appeals with information on a suspected vehicle captured by nearby surveillance videos. A $10,000 cash reward was offered to anyone who had information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for her murder.
Macareno was described as the “mastermind” behind the financial abuse. She was arrested on June 6, 2022 and again on June 8, 2022 for financial elder abuse crimes. Additional charges “remains to be seen,” said Brown. Macareno was sentenced to 6 years in state prison for the fraud charges.
Macareno also has a prior criminal record that consists mostly of financial crimes, according to a Sheriff’s Detective Ruben Esparza during the press conference.
Harry Basmadjian, 58 of Van Nuys, was arrested on January 2, 2024 for conspiracy to commit murder. He was arrested while being held in federal custody in Los Angeles on an unrelated charge. Brown stated that he suffered a life threatening medical emergency that has left him incapacitated, “essentially brain dead with a grim prognosis.”
Henry Rostomyan, 33 of Tujunga, was arrested on February 27, 2024 on conspiracy to commit murder and murder charges.
Ricardo Martin DelCampo, 41 of Los Angeles, was arrested on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. When DelCampo was arrested he and his associate attempted to flee while discarding firearms, said Brown. The firearms were recovered and one determined to be a Glock semi-automatic pistol that was illegally modified with an illicit part that essentially turned it into a machine gun with a 30-round magazine.
Rostomyan and DelCampo are currently being held in Santa Barbara County Jail without bail.
Brown thanked cooperating and allied agencies who helped with this case, but he focused on the detective team standing beside him during the press conference. He stated their collective dedication, determination, and tenacity served to pursue truth and accountability for those responsible.
Brown specifically recognized Sgt. Daniel Kholi, who was the initial lead detective. He was replaced by detective Ruben Esparza as lead detective. Detective Matt Maxwell worked as the co-lead with Detective Esparza. Additional detectives included Adam Alegria, Joaquin Oliver, and Cliff Cabasag. The supervising sergeant and ringmaster was Sergeant Jeff McDonald along with their management and command staff.
To date the Santa Barbara Sheriff Detectives has spent 10,424.5 hours to unravel the details surround this murder. Brown said this is his 47th year in the law enforcement profession and this case is the “finest example of a whodunnit murder” that was solved due to tenacious detectives.
“To any individual, criminal, or criminal enterprise contemplating coming to Santa Barbara to commit crimes. If you come here and if you target members of our community and if you target members of our community no matter who they are, we will doggedly investigate the crimes that you commit. We will identify you, all of you, we will hunt you down, will will arrest you, we will jail you, we will build a comprehensive case against you, and we will bring you before the bar of justice, just as we have done with this case,” said Sheriff Brown.
Brown went on to commend his team by saying while Alberts didn’t have any family, the detectives essentially made her a member of their family by ensuring they would find and bring to justice those responsible for her death.
While Brown said they have a solid case against the named suspects, they are interested in making the case even stronger and are asking for anyone with additional information to contact them at 805-681-4150 or anonymous tip line 805-681-4171.
A complete recording of the press conference is available on the Sheriff’s Office YouTube Channel.
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Nice work.