Selma "Sally" Merling Hill Victim

Overview

Selma "Sally" Merling Hill, 91, was the victim in the case profiled in the Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever, Season 1 Episode 3 ("Killing for Custody"). Selma Hill was attacked and killed at her Dublin, California home in January 2009 by her grandson Eric's estranged wife Rosa Hill and Rosa's mother Mei Li.

Background

Selma Hill lived in Dublin, California, a city in Alameda County in the San Francisco Bay Area's Tri-Valley region. At 91 years old, she was the matriarch of the Hill family and maintained her own home in Dublin where her grandson Eric Hill would visit regularly. According to court records and reporting by SFGate, Selma Hill was not a party to the custody dispute between Eric and Rosa Hill — she was an elderly family member whose home became the site of a violent attack driven by her granddaughter-in-law's rage over the custody proceedings.

The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever presents Selma Hill's story as a devastating example of how domestic disputes can claim the lives of innocent family members who are not directly involved in the conflict. Her death in Dublin, California shocked the community and drew attention to the case.

The 2009 Attack

On January 8, 2009, Rosa Hill and her mother Mei Li went to Selma Hill's Dublin, California home. When Eric Hill arrived to check on his grandmother, Mei Li struck him in the head with a baton while Rosa threatened him with a handgun. During the attack, 91-year-old Selma Hill was killed. Her body was later found wrapped in a tarp in a trash can outside the Dublin home — a detail that prosecutors cited as evidence of premeditation and callous disregard for human life.

The Netflix docuseries Worst Ex Ever reconstructs the attack through Eric Hill's testimony and court records from Alameda County. The true crime episode examines how a custody dispute between Eric and Rosa Hill escalated to the point where Rosa and her mother were willing to commit murder at Selma's Dublin, California residence.

The Investigation

The investigation into Selma Hill's death was conducted by Dublin, California police and Alameda County investigators. Rosa Hill and Mei Li were arrested in connection with the attack. The evidence included Eric Hill's eyewitness testimony, physical evidence from the Dublin home, and the discovery of Selma's body. The case was prosecuted by the Alameda County District Attorney's office.

The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever details the investigation and the evidence that led to charges against both Rosa Hill and Mei Li for the killing of Selma Hill in Dublin, California.

The Trial

Rosa Hill and Mei Li were tried together in Alameda County Superior Court at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland. In June 2011, a jury convicted both defendants of first-degree murder of Selma Hill and attempted premeditated murder of Eric Hill. The convictions reflected the jury's finding that the attack on the Dublin, California home was planned and deliberate.

The Worst Ex Ever Netflix docuseries examines the trial proceedings and the evidence presented to the Alameda County jury. The true crime episode uses the trial as a framework for understanding how the custody dispute between Eric and Rosa Hill culminated in Selma's death.

The Appeal

In April 2015, a California appellate court reversed the first-degree murder convictions against both Rosa Hill and Mei Li, while leaving the attempted-murder convictions in place. The appellate decision modified the legal outcome but did not change the underlying facts of what happened to Selma Hill in Dublin, California in January 2009.

Family's Loss

The death of Selma Hill devastated the Hill family and the Dublin, California community. At 91 years old, she was killed in her own home by family members driven by a custody dispute she had no part in. The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever presents her death as the most tragic consequence of the case — an innocent life lost to domestic violence that spiraled beyond the immediate relationship.

The Worst Ex Ever episode honors Selma Hill's memory while examining the systemic factors that allowed the custody dispute to escalate to lethal violence in Dublin, California. Out of respect for Selma Hill's family and consistent with this site's privacy policy, details about her private life are limited to what public reporting and court records have already established.

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