Eric Hill Survivor

Overview

Eric Hill is the survivor profiled in the Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever, Season 1 Episode 3 ("Killing for Custody"). In January 2009, during a custody dispute with his estranged wife Rosa Hill, Eric Hill was attacked at his grandmother's Dublin, California home — struck in the head with a baton by his mother-in-law, Mei Li, and threatened with a handgun by Rosa. Eric Hill's 91-year-old grandmother, Selma "Sally" Hill, did not survive; her body was later found wrapped in a tarp in a trash can outside the Dublin home.

Marriage to Rosa Hill

Eric Hill married Rosa Pui Hill, and the couple lived in the Dublin, California area in Alameda County. According to court records and Eric Hill's testimony in the Netflix docuseries Worst Ex Ever, the marriage deteriorated over time. The relationship's collapse led to separation and a contested custody dispute that became increasingly acrimonious. The Netflix true crime docuseries examines how the custody proceedings between Eric and Rosa Hill created the conditions for the violence that followed.

The Custody Dispute

The custody dispute between Eric Hill and Rosa Hill became the driving force behind the events documented in the Worst Ex Ever episode. According to Alameda County court records, the proceedings were contentious, with both parties seeking primary custody. Rosa Hill's response to the custody dispute escalated far beyond legal channels — ultimately culminating in the attack on Eric and the killing of his grandmother Selma at the Dublin, California home.

The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever uses the custody dispute as a framework for understanding how domestic conflicts can escalate to lethal violence. Eric Hill's testimony provides viewers with insight into the escalating tensions that preceded the January 2009 attack in Dublin, California.

The 2009 Attack

On January 8, 2009, Rosa Hill and her mother Mei Li went to the Dublin, California home of Eric Hill's 91-year-old grandmother, Selma Hill. When Eric arrived to check on his grandmother, Mei Li struck him in the head with a baton — a blow that caused serious injuries. Rosa Hill threatened Eric with a handgun during the attack. Eric Hill survived the assault, but his grandmother Selma did not.

Eric Hill's injuries from the baton strike required medical attention. His survival allowed him to serve as the primary eyewitness to the attack, providing testimony that was central to the prosecution of Rosa Hill and Mei Li in Alameda County. The Netflix docuseries Worst Ex Ever presents Eric's account of the attack in detail, using his testimony to reconstruct the events at the Dublin, California home.

The Trial

Eric Hill provided crucial testimony during the 2011 trial of Rosa Hill and Mei Li in Alameda County Superior Court. His eyewitness account of the attack — including Mei Li striking him with the baton and Rosa threatening him with the handgun — was central to the prosecution's case. The jury convicted both defendants of first-degree murder of Selma Hill and attempted premeditated murder of Eric Hill.

The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever examines Eric Hill's role in the trial and the emotional toll of testifying against his estranged wife and mother-in-law about the attack that killed his grandmother in Dublin, California.

His Injuries

Eric Hill sustained serious injuries from the baton strike to his head during the January 2009 attack. His survival was critical to the case — without his eyewitness testimony, prosecutors would have faced significant challenges in establishing what happened inside the Dublin, California home. The Netflix docuseries Worst Ex Ever addresses Eric's physical recovery alongside the psychological trauma of losing his grandmother to violence perpetrated by his own estranged wife.

Testimony in Worst Ex Ever

Eric Hill has spoken on the record through the Netflix docuseries Worst Ex Ever. His testimony about the Dublin, California true crime case is central to the episode's narrative, providing viewers with a first-person account of the attack, the loss of his grandmother, and the long aftermath of the January 2009 events. The Worst Ex Ever episode relies on Eric's account to humanize the legal proceedings and convey the devastating personal impact of the case.

His willingness to share his story through the Netflix true crime docuseries has contributed to public understanding of how custody disputes can escalate to lethal violence. This page does not publish details beyond his public testimony.

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