Four people are arrested for smothering a 96-year-old woman to death while she was sleeping in her Montecito mansion in murder-for-hire plot to steal her pricey home

Four people have been arrested in a murder-for-hire plot to kill an elderly woman and gain control of her sprawling California home because she was 'living too long.' 

Violet Evelyn Alberts, 96, was found dead in her bed at her $5million mansion in May 2022. She had been making cookies for her birthday moments before she was killed.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputies began investigating her death when they discovered a broken window inside her Montecito home. 

Her body was first discovered by her caretaker. A medical examiner determined she died by asphyxiation and was smothered to death in her sleep.

Officials said on Thursday that her killing was a murder-for-hire scheme orchestrated by Pauline Macareno, 48, who had previously tried to con Alberts out of her home.

Harry Basmadjian, 58, Henry Rostomyan, 33 and Ricardo MartinDelCampo, 41, were also charged last week in connection to the murder.

Violet Evelyn Alberts was found dead in her bed at her Montecito mansion on May 27, 2022

Officials said her killing was a murder-for-hire scheme orchestrated by Pauline Macareno (pictured), who had previously tried to con Alberts out of her home

In 2020 Macareno had tried to gain control of Alberts assets, including her $5 million home (pictured), by committing financial elder abuse

'In the eyes of Pauline Macareno, Miss Alberts was living too long,' said Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown. 'The acceleration of her death is presumably what was behind the murder.' 

Immediately after her death two years ago, detectives  found little to no leads - but soon after, investigators started tracing a 'tangled web of financial exploitation.' 

This led detectives to Macareno and three men. 

During the investigation, they discovered MartinDelCampo and Rostomyan had conducted a scouting trip to Alberts home on May 24, 2022.

'This pivotal discovery shed light on the premeditated nature of the crime, underscoring the perpetrators' calculated efforts to survey Alberts's home and plan their vicious and reprehensible actions,' Brown said.

In June, the sheriff's office released photos of a white Porsche Cayenne they believed to connected to Alberts murder.

Police said they believed the driver had traveled from Los Angeles to Montecito on the night of the murder and the vehicle was seen entering and leaving Alberts property.

Macareno is currently in prison on a separate charge, Basmadjian was arrested on January 2, Rostomyan was arrested on February 27 and MartinDelCampo was arrested on March 5, 2024. 

Brown said in 2020 Macareno had tried to gain control of Alberts assets by committing financial elder abuse.

Macareno was 'referred' to Alberts, who needed additional money after she 'aged out' of her savings, according to the sheriff. 

'The victim was in a financially distressful situation where she had essentially aged out of her savings and she basically had a very valuable home that she lived in but she had run out of money otherwise,' said Brown.

Harry Basmadjian, Henry Rostomyan and Ricardo MartinDelCampo were also charged in connection to the murder

'She needed some additional money and she was approached by Pauline Macareno with the scheme to sell her a reverse-mortgage.'

Macareno is currently serving a six year sentence in state prison for fraud charges related to Alberts' case.

She was convicted for using a real estate scheme to convince Alberts to transfer the title of her home to herself.

The sheriff said Alberts was making cookies for her birthday before she died and the ingredients for those cookies were found in the table when police arrived.

Brown said Alberts was a 'vibrant 96-year-old widow' and a 'cherished figure' in the community.

'Violet relied on her friendships and connections within the neighborhood, through which she achieved a sense of belonging with a tight knit community,' Brown said.

'Despite facing challenges with her memory and cognition, Violet's spirit remained undaunted.' 

In June, the sheriff's office released photos of a white Porsche Cayenne they believed to connected to Alberts murder

Police said they believed the driver had traveled from Los Angeles to Montecito on the night of the murder and the vehicle was seen entering and leaving Alberts property

'Her love for her home, complete with a pond filled with cherished koi fish that she brought from Beverly Hills, reflected her appreciation for life's simpler pleasures,' he said. 

Rostomyan and MartinDelCampo are currently being held at the Santa Barbara County Jail without bail on charges of murder and conspiracy to murder.

Basmadjian was arrested for similar charges while being held in federal custody on an unrelated charge. 

He has subsequently suffered a life-threatening medical emergency that left him totally incapacitated with a grim prognosis, according to the sheriff's office.

Montecito, a lavish enclave outside of Santa Barbara, is home to some of the world's most famous and wealthy people - including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Oprah, and Ellen DeGeneres. 

The suspects have a court hearing scheduled for March 14.