[ominous music]
RAMON:
We were so in love.
She was the perfect person
for me.
- They wanted to make
each other’s dreams come true.
- But the greed
started growing.
- It was a problem for her.
- How could this happen?
♪ ♪
- She was like,
I just wish somebody
would make him disappear.
MIKE:
They had received payment
to secure the hit man
and a firearm.
RAMON: We thought
we’d be together forever.
Now here I am,
laying in a shallow grave.
- It was like something
out of a movie.
- [laughs]
- Somebody might die.
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
ANDREA: I’m Andrea Gunning,
and this is Betrayal--
a show about the people
we trust the most
and the deceptions
that change everything.
Today I’m going
to introduce you to Ramon,
a man who thought he got
a second chance at love
until he discovered
a dark secret
that threatened everything,
including his own life.
I feel so lucky
that you trusted us
to help tell your story.
It wasn’t easy to find men
when we started our podcast,
and you were one
of those leading stories
that allowed other men to write
in and feel comfortable.
So what motivated you
to tell your story?
RAMON: I feel that
by me sharing my story,
it has helped a lot of men.
It was tough.
She betrayed me.
It was horrible.
You know, I’m getting better,
but, uh, this experience
definitely changed my life.
- Yeah.
♪ ♪
[bird calling]
RAMON:
My name’s Ramon Sosa.
I was born
in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
- Ramon’s always been
very active, outgoing.
He’s the one
that had all the friends.
He’s a big old sweetheart.
- My father in Puerto Rico
was a professional wrestler.
- Ramon always looked up
to my dad.
They would spend
a lot of time together.
- On the weekends,
he would take me to the gym
where he used
to lift weights at.
The other side was for boxing.
There was a few
professional fighters there,
and I would
just watch ’em train.
And that’s how I began
my love for boxing.
♪ ♪
One of the trainers
taught me how to box.
♪ ♪
Later on, my father
wanted to move to the States
for a better life
in Houston, Texas.
♪ ♪
I turned pro at the age of 17.
I was a senior in high school.
I had a few pro fights,
but I didn’t have the heart
anymore to keep doing it.
But I wanted to be involved,
so that’s when
I started training fighters.
- He always had a dream
of having his own gym.
Of course,
other things took priority.
ANDREA:
Ramon met a woman,
and they got married
and had three kids,
but, unfortunately,
their relationship
only lasted ten years.
RAMON: At that time, I was
a divorced father of three,
and I said, you know what?
I need to do something
on my own.
I had this idea where
I can help kids after school--
you know, homework help
and then also teach them
how to box and be a mentor.
So I started my nonprofit,
Young Prospect Boxing.
[uplifting music]
RAUL:
He was a good mentor.
You know, he wanted to teach
what he knew.
And boxing keeps kids
out of the streets,
out of all the bad aspects
of life.
♪ ♪
[punches thudding]
RAMON:
One day in the early 2000s...
this young man comes
through the door.
This guy was a little older.
His name is Mundo.
He said, I’ve always been
interested in boxing.
So I said,
this is a nonprofit.
You can train, but if you
can help us out, something.
And he said he was willing
to put in to help out.
He started opening up to me.
He told me that he was
a former g*ng member.
- Because of his background
and g*ng affiliations,
we are concealing Mundo’s face
to protect his identity.
- Growing up
in the neighborhood,
the drug dealers,
the top g*ng members
were the guys
that were admired,
and I chose that.
- He had been recently released
from prison.
He showed me
that he had b*llet wounds.
But he wanted to change
his life,
and he would help me a lot.
On the outside,
he looked kind of rough,
but he had a big heart...
big heart.
MUNDO: Ramon--he showed me
another way.
I wasn’t even looking
for a father,
but that’s what he acted like.
♪ ♪
RAMON: Back then,
I had been divorced now
for about seven years,
and, uh,
it was tough, you know.
But, uh, one day one of
the members of the gym said,
hey, Coach, I know you like
salsa music and Latin music,
and I heard of this place
in the Woodlands
that they play
that kind of music.
There’s some beautiful ladies
that hang around there.
ANDREA:
So Ramon goes out.
He didn’t have any
big expectations that night.
- And the place was packed.
[upbeat Latin music]
And I was just sitting there
having a beer,
and I looked
at the dance floor.
- And this beautiful woman
catches his eye.
RAMON: She was wearing
a tight mini dress,
high heels--
olive skin,
long, black, wavy hair.
And I said, wow,
she’s very attractive,
and she can dance, you know.
She looks like she knows
what she’s doing.
And, um, next thing I know,
she walks in front of me.
And before I can do anything,
she steps on my toe.
And I’m like, oh, my God.
I went down to one knee.
♪ ♪
She told me
that her name was Lulu
and went to the dance floor
and started dancing.
And I brought up the situation
with stepping on my foot.
She admitted to me that,
yeah, that was intentional.
I wanted to get your attention.
We started dating,
and we started
getting to know each other.
She started telling me
a little bit more
about herself.
She told me that she was born
in Mexico City.
She was a mother of two,
divorced,
and she moved down here just
basically for a better life.
She was here
on a visitor’s visa,
but she was making ends meet
to take care of her kids.
We had a wonderful
whirlwind relationship.
- They hit it off,
and they fall in love.
And he was head over heels
for Lulu.
RAMON:
I met her family.
She met my family,
and everybody loved her.
- He was very happy
when he was dating Lulu.
MARIA:
We were just excited
that finally
something positive
was happening
in his love life.
She wanted to participate
in family gatherings.
She came with her mother
and her children.
She was part
of the family right away.
She was lovely,
always dressed up super nice.
She fit right in.
You know, how can I help you?
Let me do this.
Let me do that.
- I mean, if I had a drink
in my hand,
my drink wasn’t
even halfway done,
she would go get me
another one.
And guys would be like,
you know,
man, how’d you find that,
man, you know?
I said, man, not only that,
I tell them,
she gives me manicures,
pedicures, massages.
They were like, what?
They would say,
man, she’s beautiful, man.
You know,
this is the one, Sosa.
We had been together
maybe a year and a half.
I knew that I didn’t want
to be alone
for the rest of my life.
I felt like it was time now
to propose to her.
[upbeat Latin music]
♪ ♪
We had gone out dancing
and came home,
and I had a ring
in my pocket all day.
And I just dropped
to one knee.
And she started crying
right there.
She knew what was coming next.
And, of course, she said yes.
And all she did was hug me
and kiss me,
and she couldn’t stop crying.
♪ ♪
MARIA: We were happy.
We were happy for them.
He finally found somebody
that shared a lot of the things
that he loved--music, sports.
He finally found love again.
RAMON:
She said she didn’t want
a big wedding or anything.
She said,
let’s just save the money.
And we got married at the
Montgomery County Courthouse.
♪ ♪
- Ramon and Lulu’s wedding
was the perfect day.
They were surrounded
by friends
and loved ones and family.
- And I was just so happy
and dancing and everything.
- But then one weird thing
happened.
♪ ♪
- Out of nowhere, her mother...
she comes to me
and gives me a hug
and just whispers in my ear...
"Now she’s your trouble,"
and then walks away.
That was the first red flag
right there.
[ominous music]
♪ ♪
[light music]
- The joy seemed to continue
after they got married.
RAMON:
I was proud to be with her.
We always joke around
and never had any issues.
Lulu--at the time, she was
here on the visitor’s visa.
She said, I need to apply
for my green card.
And I remember asking her
what she wanted to do
for a honeymoon.
And she said,
no, that’s too much money.
Let’s not spend that money
on the honeymoon.
Let’s spend that money
on me and my kids
getting our green card.
And that’s what we did.
But you have to be married
for three years
to be able to apply
for the American citizenship.
- At this point,
they had started talking
about Ramon’s dream
of having a gym.
[upbeat Latin music]
♪ ♪
She loved that idea.
I think she was
an entrepreneur.
- And she said, just put
a business plan together.
I said, it’s not cheap
opening up a boxing gym.
And I said,
this is how much we need.
And she was like,
I can get that.
She borrowed it
from family members,
and that’s when we opened up
Woodlands Boxing & Fitness.
♪ ♪
- My name is Lulu Sosa.
- And I’m Ramon Sosa,
head coach, boxing.
BOTH: Welcome
to Woodlands Boxing & Fitness.
- They were working
together as a team.
[indistinct shouting]
- It was a typical boxing gym,
like an old-school boxing gym.
ANDREA: The gym
was extremely successful.
They had borrowed a lot
of money to open this gym,
but it took less than a year
to pay the money back.
Ramon ran the gym,
and Lulu handled the books.
- She manned the office.
She did all the purchasing.
She paid all the bills.
RAMON: Her background
in Mexico City--
she was
a, uh, executive secretary.
She knew how to balance
the books to the penny.
Everything
was running perfect,
like a well-oiled machine.
- And together, they
really worked to build a life
and make each other’s dreams
come true.
- We were doing well
financially, very well.
MIA: Growing up, Lulu--
she didn’t come from money,
but she loved nice things,
I mean, from jewelry
to clothes.
She had a great lifestyle
with my dad.
- We had bought a nice home,
nice cars, motorcycles.
We was taking nice vacations.
- My dad was living
a great life.
- After three years
of marriage,
Ramon and Lulu
were able to apply
for her citizenship.
This was a very busy time
for them.
They were running a business,
applying for citizenship,
and trying to make time
for each other.
They were juggling a lot.
[indistinct chatter]
RAMON: One particular day,
Mundo just shows up at my gym.
And at that time,
we kind of lost contact.
I was surprised and
it made me happy to see him.
We picked it up
right where we had left off.
ANDREA:
But Lulu was suspicious.
She didn’t love
his background.
She didn’t love the fact
that he had been in prison
and had been in a g*ng.
RAMON: He started coming
to the gym
and then helping us
train people
and taking care of the gym
on the weekends
so we can have a weekend off.
- It just set up the stage
for me to be
his right-hand man.
- She started liking him
more and more,
because she saw the benefits
that he was giving us.
MUNDO:
She came up, and she was like,
yeah, you know, I’m glad
you’re part of the team.
There was a lot of laughing,
and Lulu acted
like a good friend.
[upbeat rock music]
- As the relationship
went on with Lulu,
I was spending less time
with my family
and more time
with her and her kids.
MIA: We weren’t really seeing
our dad as much.
It was kind of like, anytime
we wanted our dad to do things
or kind of wanted our dad
to ourself, it was a problem.
- And it was starting
to cause more friction.
MIA:
My dad was a good provider,
and Lulu had everything
a girl could ask for,
but she didn’t like the fact
that my dad had to support
his children, you know,
um, even though
those are his kids
and that’s what
you do as a father.
But it was a problem for her.
I mean, I didn’t like her,
and she didn’t like me,
but no one really saw
the side that I saw.
[dramatic music]
- We started having,
you know, issues at home
with our personal life.
Then they also spilled
over to the gym.
MARIA: Lulu started
to be a little jealous,
’cause, like, Ramon
is a very friendly guy,
and sometimes
he would coach females.
And you could see
Lulu’s reaction
and expressing her jealousy.
She was like, let me
remind you, this is our gym.
This is not your gym.
RAMON:
And then I started
looking at the books
for the gym...
you know, the money
that was coming in,
and it wasn’t adding up.
She would always say,
oh, you’re getting paid.
Everything’s getting paid.
Don’t worry about it.
♪ ♪
It seemed like the more
this relationship’s
going downhill,
the more money’s disappearing.
♪ ♪
- She was calling the shots
in and out the gym.
RAMON: What kind of caught me
off guard
is when I get home one day
from the gym,
and I see there’s a few cars
in my driveway.
♪ ♪
And when I walk in...
- There’s a party going on.
- And I said, you know,
what’s going on here, you know?
And Lulu said, say hello
to your new
American citizen wife.
♪ ♪
I said, well, wait a second.
You went and signed
the papers and the whole thing
of being an American citizen,
and you didn’t invite me?
You didn’t tell me
anything about it?
She said, no,
you’re always busy
with your boxing.
You’re always traveling.
I didn’t want to bother you.
And I’m like,
you got to be kidding me.
ANDREA:
Ramon was her sponsor.
How could she not tell him?
RAMON:
I bluntly asked her,
you know,
what’s the deal here?
You know, you’re only with me
just ’cause you want to become
an American citizen?
And she just came back
with, you know,
"Look at me, look at me.
I can get any man I want.
"But I chose you.
I want to be with you.
I want to spend the rest
of my life with you."
[serious music]
MUNDO: I felt things
were deteriorating.
I would hear about arguing.
She would talk--he did this,
he did that, you know?
What can I do?
What, you want me
to go talk to the guy?
- And then shortly after,
Lulu filed for divorce.
♪ ♪
Ramon was
completely blindsided.
- She wanted the house,
the gym...
basically everything.
♪ ♪
RAMON: She wanted to stay on
the second floor of the house,
and I was going to stay on
the first floor of the house.
But we were like oil and water.
It did not mix.
This one evening,
I wasn’t at the gym.
Lulu was there
with her kids and Mundo,
and he was one of the last ones
to stay there.
And Lulu was
in the gym office talking.
Mundo overhears
the whole conversation.
And Mundo calls me,
and he goes, hey, Pops,
I don’t know what’s going on
between you and Lulu,
but she’s saying very,
very bad stuff about you, man.
♪ ♪
And I’m like, what?
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
there wasn’t
that many people there.
So Mundo walks up to Lulu
and asks...
hey, that conversation that you
guys were having, I overheard.
You guys got to be careful
what you say around people,
’cause you never know
who’s listening.
And then that’s when Lulu
just spilled it out.
MUNDO:
She started going off.
She goes, "I’m just tired.
I’m frustrated.
"I wish he would leave.
I just wish, you know, somebody
would make him disappear."
RAMON: And Mundo said,
are you talking
about taking him away,
like, you know, like this?
He did the p*stol sign to her.
And she said, yeah,
take him away like that.
♪ ♪
MUNDO:
I know what she wants.
I said, I might know somebody.
- And she said,
yeah, make it happen.
MUNDO: And I just tell her
we’ll stay in contact.
I’ll give her a call.
And as I’m heading out,
I remember I call Ramon.
- So, when Mundo told me,
I took it as he was joking.
- Ramon tells me
to shut the [bleep] up.
RAMON: He goes, no, Pops,
she’s not joking.
I seen that look
in people’s eyes.
And she’s for real.
She means it.
- Somebody might die.
♪ ♪
JAMES: Texas is
a pretty wild jurisdiction.
I had divorce cases
where one party
beat the other one up,
trashed their car,
or kidnapped the kids.
But I’ve been practicing law
for 40 years,
and I’ve never seen anything
like this before.
- The only reason
that I’m probably sitting here
right now talking to you
is because
of what he said next.
♪ ♪
Mundo goes, I have a plan.
I have a plan.
I told her that I have
the people that can do the job.
So what I’m going to do--
I’m going to start,
you know, meeting with her,
and I’m going to record
the conversations
and see how far
she’s willing to go.
- Ramon was stuck
between a rock
and a hard place.
They had no proof
to take to the police
that Lulu actually wanted
to have Ramon k*lled.
It was just hearsay.
So they needed to gather
real evidence.
And so Mundo and Ramon
concocted a plan.
♪ ♪
They decide to record
these conversations
between Mundo and Lulu.
And then Mundo
started meeting with Lulu
and getting an understanding
of what she wanted
and what the plan was.
- And that’s when it got real.
[line trilling]
- Uh, it was bad.
ANDREA:
Even though Ramon knows
that Lulu is concocting
this plan,
he still has to go home
and sleep in the same house
with her.
♪ ♪
He knew that there was
someone in that home with him
that wanted him dead.
This could one day be
a crime scene.
- And let me tell you that...
even though we were sleeping
in separate rooms
and I was downstairs,
I would sleep
basically with one eye open,
because every time I hear
the squeaking of the stairs,
people walking up and down
the stairs, I couldn’t sleep.
I couldn’t sleep, thinking,
like, you know, I don’t know
if she had a plan B, plan C.
So it was tough.
- Who knows what was going on
in this woman’s mind?
♪ ♪
Lulu came from a fairly poor
background in Mexico,
and she was just overcome
with a beautiful home,
two or three cars,
two motorcycles.
And as time went on,
it became obvious
she was more interested
in material possessions
than she was the marriage.
MARIA: It turns out
she was purchasing everything
under her name only,
not including Ramon,
and she got additional
life insurance on him.
Ramon entrusted her
to manage the finances.
But the greed,
it just started growing,
and Ramon had no clue.
- Lulu was being
very contentious
in the divorce, aggressive.
- My name
is Catherine Dominguez,
and I work
for the Houston Chronicle.
Lulu’s plan was shocking.
She made allegations
that there was
domestic violence
in their home,
which did not happen.
RAMON: She had filed charges
on me for domestic abuse.
It was investigated.
Nothing was found.
Charges were dropped.
It was all a lie.
CATHERINE: And she wanted
to have this hit on him
before the divorce
was finalized
so that she could end up
with all of his assets.
ANDREA: If he dies
before they’re divorced,
she gets everything.
Afterwards,
the kids get everything.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
- At this point, Ramon
says he didn’t recognize
the woman he married.
Mundo tells Lulu
that he is going to put her
in touch with these hit men
and basically gives her
a number.
And so she thinks
that she’s coordinating
with these individuals,
but, really, it’s Ramon
on the other end
on a burner phone.
- So I was playing
my own hit man.
He called one Paco
and the other one Johnboy.
Mundo met with her,
and he was texting,
you know, in front of her
to supposedly the two hit men.
I told her the price
for the hit was $12,000.
And I said, when you going to
give us the money for the toy?
And the toy was the g*n.
And I said,
I need $100 for the toy.
And sure enough,
she exchanged the money.
And once she gave Mundo
that money,
then right there shows proof
that her intent was real.
This lady means business.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
RAMON: How you doing, sir?
MIKE: How you doing?
- Ramon Sosa.
MIKE: Mike Atkins.
- Being that Mr. and Mrs. Sosa
were members of the community
and business owners,
this case, I would say,
is a little bit higher profile.
And at the time
that it was introduced to me,
they had received
a $100 payment from Lulu
to secure the hit man
and a firearm.
- Our level of proof is going
to be, you know, much higher
than what they have.
It’s a good start, but we felt
that we needed to interject
and provide, you know,
Mundo with a cell phone,
provide him with some guidance
on what to and what not to do.
- They sent down an undercover
officer posing as an assassin.
MIKE: If you could picture
in your mind
the quintessential
cartel hit man,
this is exactly
what he would look like.
- There were multiple audio
and video devices
inside the vehicle
to make sure that this is
exactly what she wants to do.
MIKE: Lulu was asked,
this is not just,
hey, we’re going
to beat him up.
RAMON:
I just couldn’t believe
the kind of things
that she was saying.
- They talked
about how much money
she would be willing to pay
to have the hit done.
- She went to the bank and took
money out of our own account.
- She turned that over to
the hit man as a down payment.
JAMES:
They got Lulu on film
making the deal
to have him assassinated.
I think it was $2,500
and the pickup truck.
- She didn’t have
all the money.
She tells them, the truck that
he drives, you can keep that.
And come to find out,
she gives him my own jewelry
as a down payment.
[Lulu laughs]
- Whatever was on Ramon’s body
Mrs. Sosa said that the hit man
could help himself to.
RAMON:
So my own jewelry...
my own vehicle,
and my own money.
So I’m over here paying
for my own hit.
- She seemed determined.
She did not seem remorseful.
She was almost jovial.
- [laughs]
- But there was always
this thought
in the back of our mind--
what if we are not
the only hit men
that she is speaking with?
So, within 48 hours
of receiving confirmation,
we move forward.
♪ ♪
RAMON: The police sit me down,
and they basically told me
they had enough evidence
to arrest Lulu,
but they wanted to make it
a slam-dunk case.
Lulu was a mother of two kids.
You know,
we had a business in town.
A lot of people know us.
And they didn’t want
to take a chance
of going to a jury trial
and have one of the jurors
feel sorry for her.
♪ ♪
CATHERINE:
So law enforcement
felt like they
needed to do more.
RAMON: They told me, the plan
is that we’re going to take
a picture of you dead
and show it to her
to prove that the job was done.
♪ ♪
- I mean, it was like something
out of a movie.
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
MIKE:
We believed we had a good case
based on the meet
with the undercover,
but it’s always best
in a case like this
that you get the reaction
of the suspect
after the individual
has been k*lled
as further evidence.
CATHERINE:
So that’s when law enforcement
decided to stage the photos
that depicted Ramon dead.
♪ ♪
RAMON: The assistant DA
opened up a briefcase
and pulled out pictures
of actual dead people.
And I remember
they had a few on the table,
and they said,
okay, we want this one.
And it was an actual person
with a b*llet wound
to the head.
I mean, it literally looked
like one
of those cartel pictures.
And they said, okay,
this is the deal, Ramon.
We’re going to take
you to a location,
and we’re going to take
a picture of you dead.
And I’m thinking, what?
[scoffs]
♪ ♪
MIKE:
It was a little difficult
to find someone
who knew how to apply makeup.
So we looked on YouTube.
We looked at various videos,
and we also looked at pictures.
♪ ♪
RAMON: So they started
doing the makeup
and putting the stuff on me.
♪ ♪
And I looked at myself,
and I said, what the heck?
She’s not going to fall
for this.
And the whole time,
I’m thinking,
like, man, this is crazy.
I can’t believe
what I was doing.
♪ ♪
- We utilized a county lot
and dug a hole
that would look
just like a grave.
- There was people there
with cameras.
They were all part
of the investigation.
♪ ♪
They told me
to get in the shallow grave.
Then they showed me
how to pose.
And I laid back,
and they told me
to put my hands behind my back
and how to look.
And I closed my eyes,
and the next thing I know,
I feel like they threw dirt
on me.
- When you produce a photo
such as this,
it’s extremely important
to make it look lifelike.
- And then I hear somebody
walking around me
with a 35-millimeter camera...
[camera shutter clicking]
Just clicking,
taking pictures.
And I thought,
how could this happen?
At one time,
we were so in love.
We thought
we’d be together forever.
She’s gonna be
my partner in life.
Now here I am,
laying in a shallow grave,
faking my death
so she can get arrested.
[camera shutter clicks]
It’s crazy.
- After some discussion
and moving him around,
we finally got the photos that
we thought looked realistic.
♪ ♪
RAMON:
Next thing I know,
it’s, okay, Mr. Sosa,
we’re done.
They cleaned the makeup,
and then they told me,
we’re going to take you to a
hidden location for three days.
- It was vitally important
that he not notify anybody,
including friends and family.
♪ ♪
RAMON:
They took me to a hotel
a couple of hours
from Houston.
I didn’t have a phone.
I didn’t have anything.
ANDREA: People
were supposed to believe
that he was either missing
or dead.
They really had to sell
the fact that he was m*rder*d.
MARIA:
And then Lulu started calling
everybody in the family
looking for Ramon.
I started freaking out.
You know, what do you mean?
I had not heard from him,
and all of a sudden,
he’s gone?
So I’m having a panic attack,
because I don’t know
what’s going on.
- During that time,
there was a second meet
with Mrs. Sosa
and the hit man...
UNDERCOVER OFFICER:
It’s approximately 9:02 p.m.,
Wednesday, July 22, 2015.
- To show her
that the actual contract
had been fulfilled.
♪ ♪
[undercover officer chuckles]
RAMON: And then
the undercover officer
shows her the picture of me
in the actual grave, dead.
Her reaction is crazy.
- Cold as ice.
- [laughs]
]
CATHERINE: The u
of Ramon deceased.
♪ ♪
And she absolutely believed
the photos were real.
♪ ♪
- You could tell
she was satisfied.
- She could be seen handing
over the remaining money
that she owed for the hit
to the undercover officer.
RAMON: And she had the nerve
to ask him,
he’s dead, right?
He’s not getting up?
RAMON: And the officer said,
no, he’s dead.
At least he gave me
a little dignity.
He said that I fought hard.
RAMON:
And then her reaction--
she starts raising
her hands up,
like raising the roof,
like she hit the lotto.
[both laughing]
- She smiles and shakes
the undercover guy’s hand.
- That’s how cold-blooded
this person is.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- At this point,
it was determined
that the detectives
and I would go to the gym
and ask Lulu questions
about Mr. Sosa.
DETECTIVE MARTINEZ:
Hey, Ms. Sosa, ¿habla inglés?
- Yes.
- Okay, I’m Detective Martinez
with the Constable’s Office.
- Uh-huh.
- She was, you know,
very nervous.
Did not make any eye contact.
She lied to us and tell us that
she did not know where he was.
♪ ♪
- They arrested her
right there.
♪ ♪
- After that, she was
transported to our office
for an interview.
- [speaking Spanish]
OFFICER: Criminal solicitation
of capital m*rder.
- At this point, she was
in the interview room.
And as the door was open,
we had Mr. Sosa walk by.
ANDREA:
When Lulu saw Ramon...
It must have been
an out-of-body experience.
MIKE:
She was incredibly surprised.
Up until that point,
there are no indications
that she knew that Mr. Sosa
was still alive
and that the hit man
she was meeting
was actually
an undercover officer.
♪ ♪
Lulu was charged
with criminal solicitation
of capital m*rder.
REPORTER: 41-year-old
Maria Sosa is behind bars
after deputies say
she wanted her husband dead
and tried to hire a hit man
to do the job.
CATHERINE: As Lulu was going
through the court system,
Ramon is just trying
to maintain
a sense of normalcy
with his family,
but he was still very fearful
that something
still could happen.
♪ ♪
ANDREA: I think knowing
that someone wants you dead,
especially someone
that you loved and supported
and created a life with,
I mean,
that’s just unimaginable.
And so, in the aftermath,
Ramon says he felt a lot
of anger and resentment.
And it was changing him
as a person.
♪ ♪
- I was sleeping
with a loaded shotgun
literally next to my bed.
I had a 9 millimeter loaded
and ready to go
in my kitchen counter,
and then I had another loaded
I mean, I was a walking
ticking b*mb.
Put it this way--
I was afraid of myself.
I said, if I’m gonna die,
other people are gonna die.
♪ ♪
Finally,
after about 15 months,
she took the plea,
and the plea was
second-degree solicitation
of capital m*rder.
ANDREA:
At the sentencing hearing,
he was given the opportunity
to give his victim
impact statement,
and he planned
on going in there
and just eviscerating her.
But something came over him.
RAMON:
So, finally, I get up.
I was like, man,
I can’t live like this.
I said, you know,
everybody in here
has made a mistake
once in their life.
I told her, I forgive you
for what you’ve done to me.
Now I leave it in God’s hands.
♪ ♪
And once I said that,
I feel like
all that bottled-up anger
that I had was out.
I was relieved.
I was able to live
my life again.
CATHERINE: Lulu was sentenced
to 20 years in prison,
but she was released in 2023
on good behavior.
- She only served
close to 9 years.
Now, the 12 remaining years,
she’s on very,
very strict parole.
♪ ♪
- Where are you now,
would you say?
Can you exhale?
- I’m doing great now.
I’ve moved on with my life.
I have three
beautiful grandkids now.
- Wow.
- I found love again.
I found somebody
that is just wonderful.
We’ve been together
for a while now.
She’s great to my kids.
I mean, I thank God every day.
ANDREA:
This was an extreme betrayal,
because Lulu never thought
about the fact
that he is a father,
that he’s a son,
a mentor, a friend.
And that was the greatest
betrayal for Ramon.
RAMON:
What Lulu did to me--
I don’t wish that on anybody.
I hope that my story
now helps others,
and that’s what I do now--
use my story to help others
not go through
what I went through.
I think that it’s
very important
that society understands
that domestic abuse
happens to a lot of men.
I want to tell men out there,
don’t be afraid to speak up.
Get help.
Get help.
That doesn’t make you
less of a man.
Not one bit.
♪ ♪
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