Naman Shrestha
In the episode titled ‘Murder in Law’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Mother, May I Murder?,’ the primary focus is on the tragic murder of 91-year-old Selma “Sally” Hill in her house in Dublin, California. When the news of the gruesome murder broke out, shockwaves were sent across the entire community. What started as a possible domestic assault incident turned into a sinister, premeditated plot for murder, motivated by revenge and control. The investigation led to some shocking discoveries, all of which are explored in the documentary with the help of exclusive interviews with Selma’s loved ones and the officials linked to the case.
Selma “Sally” Hill’s Lover Alerted the Police About Her Absence, Leading to the Discovery of Her Remains
Born on May 16, 1917, in North Dakota, Selma Christine “Sally” Holm Hill was the daughter of Oliver Peterson Holm and Mathilda Erickson Holm. She was raised on a farm, in the company of her brothers, William Holm, Oliver Holm, Wesley Holm, and Ole Holm, as well as her sisters, Helen Kent, Mabel Anderson, Linda Pepper, Myrtle Livendalen, Doris Tuski, Nina Taylor, Lillian Miller, and Ruth Sorensen. With big dreams and a hopeful vision for a bright future, she relocated to California at the age of 20. In the Bear State, Selma put in hard work and determination to become a cosmetologist. In her early 20s, she met a man named Lyman Ford Hill, and the two quickly took to each other. They eventually tied the knot in 1940, amid World War II.
As they began their life together, Selma was employed at the Oakland Post Office. Meanwhile, Lyman was stationed in the Pacific while serving the nation in the Navy. The two ultimately expanded their family by welcoming a son they named Gregory Hill. Selma was a doting mother and a dedicated wife. The kindhearted woman also shared close bonds with the rest of her family and friends, who admired her for her compassion and sincerity. Unfortunately, the family was hit in 1944, with the tragic passing of Lyman. In the years that followed, she resided in the 7700 block of Peppertree Road in Dublin, California, where she formed a romantic bond with Lester Rowe in the late 1990s. Although they had exchanged vows with each other, the two weren’t legally married.
The couple allegedly spent a lot of time together at least four days a week. On the days they weren’t physically with each other, they talked over the phone at regular intervals throughout the day. Thus, when Lester was unable to get in touch with 91-year-old Selma on January 7, 2009, he called the authorities and requested that they conduct a welfare check. After a thorough search of the property, the detectives found Selma’s remains inside a garbage can in the shed. The autopsy revealed that the cause of her death was manual strangulation. Thus, the police launched a homicide investigation immediately.
The Killer of Selma “Sally” Hill Had Also Allegedly Planned a Kidnapping of Her Grandson
At the time of Selma “Sally” Hill’s murder, her grandson, Eric Hill, had been living with her. He was going through a divorce and a heated custody battle with his estranged wife, Rosa Hill, over their daughter. When the police arrived at Selma’s house at 7700 Peppertree Road in Dublin, California, they found Rosa and her mother, Mei Li, injured inside the house. Eric and his daughter were also present at the scene, with the authorities initially suspecting the former’s involvement in the crime. However, upon interviewing Rosa, the police noticed several inconsistencies in her story and shifted their focus to her. After digging deeper into Eric and Rosa’s marriage, the detectives learned that the two had been living separately at the time.
The custody battle also recently tilted towards the father, who was awarded sole legal custody of their daughter and 85 percent physical custody over her. Rosa claimed that the reason she went over to Selma’s house was that she believed Eric had been molesting their 2-year-old daughter, an allegation that Eric denied. Eventually, Rosa admitted to killing Selma but claimed that she did so in self-defense. She told the authorities that her mother, Mei, arrived later at the scene and had nothing to do with the murder. Nevertheless, the mother and daughter were kept in custody for the crime. In the following months, the investigators conducted a thorough search of Rosa and Mei’s house, where they found a bunch of weapons, including stun guns, a sword, a throat cutter, a knife, guns, a baton, a crossbow, and a hammer.
The detectives also recovered several notes wherein the mother-daughter wrote about their plan called “Operation Custody.” On their computer, the police found evidence of the two women conducting searches on “how to strangle someone,” “how to get away with murder,” and more. Rosa and Mei had also searched for deadly substances, like cyanide, mustard gas, ammonia, strychnine, and arsenic. Thus, the investigators theorized that Rosa and Mei went to Selma’s house to kidnap Eric Hill and drive him to a secluded location, where they allegedly planned to kill him so that Rosa could regain the custody of her daughter.
Rosa Hill and Mei Li Are Currently Incarcerated at the Same California Prison Facility
By pleading not guilty to the murder of Selma “Sally” Hill, Rosa Hill and Mei Li decided to take matters into the court. In 2011, the mother and daughter stood trial, where Rosa admitted to being armed with multiple weapons when she was at Selma’s house on January 7, 2009. The defendant claimed that she acted in self-defense after Selma allegedly came at her with a knife. She told the jury that she had witnessed her estranged husband and their daughter in a compromising position at the house earlier that day. According to Rosa, she went to Selma, who was taking out the garbage right outside the house, and told her that Eric had been molesting their daughter.
When Selma allegedly refused to believe that her grandson could do something like that, Rosa alleged that she hit the elderly woman after Selma swung a knife at her. Upon cross-examination, the prosecutor asked her why she didn’t take a few steps back and leave. Rosa stated, “I wasn’t thinking at the time. It never crossed the mind.” She added, “I just started seeing red, and I couldn’t see anymore.” Unsure if she was dead, Rosa allegedly used a stun gun on her. After realizing that Selma was dead, the killer claimed that she had placed her remains into a garbage can.
In the end, on June 28, 2011, the jury found both of them guilty of first-degree murder of Selma “Sally” Hill and the premeditated attempted murder of Eric Hill. A couple of months later, on August 29, Rosa was sentenced to 25 years to life while Mei was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. As of today, both 50-year-old Rosa Hill and 72-year-old Mei Li are serving their respective sentences at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, California. The former’s parole eligibility date is scheduled for January 2029, while her mother’s Parole Suitability Hearing is set for March 2026.
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