By Raul Castillo
Jun 24, 2024, 7:43 PM EDT
Trista Ann Spicer, a 44-year-old woman living in California, has been sent to trial for the alleged murder of her ex-boyfriend, Eric Israel Mercado. The woman faces charges of murder with the aggravation of use of a deadly weapon, after being accused of crushing Mercado’s head with a frying pan and slitting his throat with a box cutter before burying his remains in a “makeshift grave” on her property.
On August 23, 2022, detectives with the San Bernardino Police Department’s Homicide Unit received a tip regarding human remains on a property.
Upon conducting a follow-up interview, they obtained a search warrant for a residence in the 1400 block of E. Davidson Street. During the search, investigators found a makeshift grave containing human remains, according to reports reviewed by Law&Crime.
Based on the evidence collected, detectives determined that Spicer was responsible for the death of Mercado, who had been reported missing since 2014.
Spicer was arrested on September 2, 2022 in Yucaipa, California, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles. According to a Police Department news release, Spicer and Mercado lived together at the residence where the remains were found.
Details revealed
At a preliminary hearing Friday, new details about the case were revealed, according to the San Bernardino Sun. Waylan Gentry, Spicer’s most recent boyfriend and a convicted felon, was the one who went to police with the information.
Gentry stated that he began living with Spicer in 2019 and that they both regularly used drugs and alcohol. In 2022, Spicer told him about his plan to move to Illinois, but he first needed to “get rid” of something important, referring to Mercado’s remains.
Gentry explained that he didn’t initially understand what Spicer was referring to, but she mentioned that Mercado was buried under the stairs, according to the Sun. After consulting with her mother, who advised her to “do the right thing,” she decided to go to the police.
Autopsy and forensic evidence
During a search of the home, police found a hidden storage compartment approximately 8 feet wide, 6 feet high and 3 feet deep.
Mercado’s body was found wrapped inside a cut-up air mattress.
The medical examiner who performed the autopsy stated that Mercado’s nose and eye socket appeared to have been “erased,” which would have caused his death within seconds, supporting accusations of a brutal, premeditated murder.
San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge William Jefferson Powell ordered Spicer to stand trial for Mercado’s murder, according to Law&Crime. Spicer has pleaded not guilty. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 12.
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