Dublin

Overview

Dublin is a city in Alameda County, California, located in the Tri-Valley region of the San Francisco Bay Area approximately 35 miles east of San Francisco. In January 2009 it was the site of the attack documented in the Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever, Season 1 Episode 3 ("Killing for Custody"): the killing of 91-year-old Selma "Sally" Hill and the attempted murder of her grandson Eric Hill, carried out by Eric's estranged wife Rosa Hill and her mother Mei Li during a protracted custody battle.

City Context

Dublin, California is a suburban city in the eastern portion of Alameda County with a population of approximately 75,000 residents. The city is part of the Tri-Valley region — which also includes Pleasanton, Livermore, and San Ramon — and is known for its family-oriented residential neighborhoods, good schools, and proximity to BART transit. Dublin's quiet suburban character made the January 2009 attack at Selma Hill's home particularly shocking to the community.

The city is served by the Dublin Police Services, which operates through a contract with the Alameda County Sheriff's Office. Criminal cases arising from Dublin are prosecuted by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office and adjudicated in the Alameda County court system, with the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland serving as the primary trial venue.

Alameda County

Alameda County encompasses Dublin and the surrounding East Bay communities, with a population exceeding 1.6 million residents. The county's judicial system is centered at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland, where Rosa Hill and Mei Li were tried for the murder of Selma Hill and the attempted murder of Eric Hill. The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever references the Alameda County court system as the jurisdiction that handled the prosecution.

The Alameda County District Attorney's Office prosecuted the case against Rosa Hill and Mei Li, securing convictions in 2011 that were partially modified on appeal in 2015. The county's appellate proceedings are handled through the California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District.

The Hill Case

The case featured in the Worst Ex Ever episode centers on the January 8, 2009 attack at Selma Hill's Dublin, California home. During a contested custody dispute between Eric Hill and his estranged wife Rosa Hill, Rosa and her mother Mei Li went to Selma's residence. When Eric arrived, Mei Li struck him with a baton while Rosa threatened him with a handgun. Selma Hill, 91, was killed; her body was later found in a trash can outside the Dublin home.

The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever presents the Dublin attack as one of the most disturbing cases in the series — a custody dispute that escalated to the murder of an elderly family member who had no involvement in the conflict. The true crime episode examines how the quiet Dublin, California neighborhood became the scene of fatal violence driven by a domestic dispute.

The Alameda County trial ended in 2011 with first-degree murder convictions for both Rosa Hill and Mei Li, though portions of the convictions were modified on appeal in 2015. The case's legal complexity — spanning the original trial, the appeal, and subsequent resentencing — reflects the serious nature of the charges and the Dublin community's pursuit of justice for Selma Hill.

Connection to Worst Ex Ever

Dublin, California's appearance in the Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever stems from its role as the location of the January 2009 attack that killed Selma Hill and wounded Eric Hill. The Worst Ex Ever episode uses the Dublin setting — a quiet, affluent suburban community — to examine how domestic violence can erupt in unexpected places and claim innocent lives.

The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever presents Dublin as a community where a custody dispute escalated to homicide, challenging assumptions about where violent crime occurs. The true crime episode has contributed to public awareness of the case and its implications for understanding how family court disputes can become dangerous when one party is willing to resort to violence.