Man Sentenced to 31 Years to Life for Murder-for-Hire Plot Involving Mother-in-Law

LONG BEACH, CA - A man convicted along with his wife of orchestrating an unsuccessful plot to kill his mother-in-law was sentenced today to 31 years to life in state prison.

Frank Haverly, 42, was convicted last December of one count each of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and home invasion robbery.

His wife, Holly Ramos, 43, is awaiting sentencing April 7 on one count each of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, home invasion robbery, second-degree commercial burglary and grand theft of labor, along with two counts of forgery.

She is facing up to 33 years and eight months to life in state prison, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

A third defendant, Keith Phillips, was convicted of home invasion robbery, with jurors finding true allegations that he personally used a bat and personally inflicted great bodily injury during the Oct. 11, 2013, attack on Ramos' mother. Phillips, 52, was sentenced last month to 10 years in prison.

Ramos' mother was repeatedly bludgeoned on the head during the attack. She had discovered that her daughter was forging checks from her bank account, and had petitioned for custody of Ramos' two young children, who had been placed in foster care after their mother's September 2013 arrest on drug possession and child endangerment charges in Monterey County.

Haverly and Ramos subsequently hired Phillips to rob and kill Ramos' mother, according to prosecutors.

Phillips gave his real name when he went to visit Ramos' mother at her home under the guise of being a social worker from Monterey there to do a home inspection. The woman was struck on the head twice when her back was turned during a tour of the home, prosecutors said.

Officers found the severely beaten woman after responding to a report of a person screaming near 69th Place and Ocean Boulevard.

Detectives initially thought the case may have involved a random home invasion robbery, but uncovered evidence of the murder plot directed at the victim by her daughter and son-in-law.

The woman suspected her family members were involved and helped detectives gather evidence, leading to the arrests of the three defendants in October 2013.

DNA analysis was used to link Phillips to the attack, according to police, who said detectives obtained corroborating evidence that Ramos and her husband were associates of Phillips.

--City News Service, photo via Shutterstock