California Woman Accused of Fatally Assaulting Ex-boyfriend With Frying Pan and Box Cutter
In California, a 44-year-old woman is scheduled to stand trial for the alleged murder of her ex-boyfriend. The woman is accused of smashing him in the head with a frying pan and slitting his throat with a box cutter before burying his remains in a “makeshift tomb” on her property.
According to court records reviewed by Law&Crime, Trista Ann Spicer was ordered to stand trial on one count of murder with an enhancement for the use of a lethal weapon in the murder of 42-year-old Eric Israel Mercado by San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge William Jefferson Powell on Friday.
Spicer has denied the charge of murdering Mercado, who was missing since 2014 and was discovered on Spicer’s property in 2022.
Detectives from the Homicide Unit conducted a “follow-up interview” at approximately 3 p.m. on Aug. 23, 2022, in response to a report regarding the potential concealment of human remains on a local property, as indicated in a previous news release from the San Bernardino Police Department. Investigators were able to secure a search warrant for a property located in the 1400 block of E. Davidson Street after verifying the information provided by the informant.
“Investigators observed what appeared to be a temporary tomb on the property during the execution of the search warrant.” The release stated that investigators entered the makeshift tomb and discovered human remains within. “Homicide investigators discovered that Trista Spicer and the decedent, Eric Mercado, shared a residence.”
Investigators discovered that Mercado’s family had reported him missing in 2014 and that he had not been seen since. The investigators stated that the evidence they gathered during the investigation led them to the conclusion that Spicer was the cause of Mercado’s death. On September 2, 2022, she was apprehended in Yucaipa, California, a city located approximately 70 miles east of Los Angeles.
New information regarding Mercado’s demise was disclosed during a preliminary hearing in the case on Friday.
The San Bernardino Sun reported that the hearing was primarily focused on the testimony of Waylan Gentry, Spicer’s most recent boyfriend, who affirmed that he was the one who provided the police with information about Spicer’s murder of Mercado.
Gentry, a convicted felon, reportedly informed the court that he began cohabitating with Spicer in 2019 and that the two frequently consumed alcohol and narcotics. Gentry stated in 2022 that Spicer was contemplating relocating from California to Illinois, where she had family. However, she had one critical matter to address before she could depart, and she requested Gentry’s assistance.
The Sun reported that Gentry’s assignment was to assist Spicer in “disposing” of her partner.
Gentry stated, “I was unaware of her intentions.” “She stated that he was buried beneath the stairs.” I was skeptical of her assertions.
Gentry reportedly stated that he resolved to contact the police after consulting with his mother, who advised him to “do the right thing.” A concealed storage compartment measuring approximately 8 feet in width, 6 feet in height, and 3 feet in depth was discovered during the police’s search of the residence.
According to reports, Mercado’s body was discovered in the compartment, encased in a divided air mattress.
According to the lawandcrime, the medical examiner who conducted the autopsy on Mercado informed the authorities that his nostril and eye socket appeared to have been “obliterated,” which would have resulted in his death within seconds.
Spicer is currently scheduled to appear in court again on July 12, according to records.