48 Hours - Dead Ringer

Episode Date: October 14, 2018

A former pro boxer and family man who is targeted for death lives to climb out of his own "grave." Who wanted him dead? "48 Hours" goes inside the sting that took down a hit man-for-hire scheme. Correspondent Peter Van Sant investigates.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app today. Even if you love the thrill of true crime stories as much as I do, there are times when you want to mix it up. And that's where Audible comes in, with all the genres you love and new ones to discover. Explore thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits,

and even your overall well-being. And you can enjoy Audible anytime, while doing household chores, exercising, commuting, you name it. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert

to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military. And when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. Ever think in your wildest dreams that someone might want to kill you? I would have never thought that anyone would want to kill me ever in my life, ever. My dad's a sweet guy. I mean, he's very calm. He's full of laughter. He's full of energy.

He's like a life of the party. My life was once beautiful, wonderful. I have three wonderful kids. I was married to a beautiful lady. Hi, guys. My name is Lulu. My business was booming. And I'm Ramos Sosa, head coach, boxing. Welcome to Will This Boxing and Fitness. Welcome to Will This Boxing and Fitness.

Outside the ring, boxers, they're very loving. They want love from their fans, and they want to give it back. They're the nicest people. I was a very, very low-key kind of guy. That's the furthest thing from my mind that somebody wanted me dead. I remember walking in one night

as the gym was in its final hours before it closed. I remember a conversation was taking place about hitmen. What was it about this conversation that caught your attention? What caught my attention was whose name came up. Did they mention Ramon? Yes. Now my focus is just on talking to Ramon. I said, Mundo, you're joking around.

You know, what's going on? Ramon was like, don't play with me like that. This is some serious stuff. And then he said, I seen that look on people's eye before they want to kill somebody. It's like a screenplay, something straight out of Hollywood. And it would fit right in with every other horror flick that we've seen in the past.

Except this is real. It is real. We're taking you inside the twists and turns of a complex sting operation. And here's what makes it unique. The target of the murder-for-hire plot becomes an undercover operative to catch the person who wants him dead. So, Lieutenant, where are we heading? We are heading to what we refer to as the dig site.

This is the actual grave where I was supposed to be dead. They had me lay down with my hands behind my back, my head turned. There was a photographer. All I could hear was just the clicking of the camera. That was somebody's choice. They told someone, this is what I want. This is how I want you to do it.

And this is where I want you to put him. It's horrifying. I saw myself in the grave dead. Literally, I was supposed to be dead. I'm the only person alive that has ever walked out of his own grave. To this day, Ramon Sosa finds it surreal that he was the target in a murder-for-hire plot. I would have never believed it.

I would have thought it was just something that you only see in movies or on TV. I would have never thought that it would be happening to me. He appeared to have the perfect life. From rubbing shoulders with celebrities like Hugh Hefner to owning a successful boxing gym in Houston. And he had found the love of his life, Lulu. Life was very sweet.

Beth Blair is a friend of the Sosa's. I saw two fun, outgoing, love to party, love to get together with people and have barbecues, and the more people, the merrier. Ramon's zest for life started early. He was born with a fighting spirit. Originally from Carolina, Puerto Rico, Ramon grew up boxing with his father. I fell in love with the sport of boxing. I saw how the training, and there was a few world champions that trained there, and I just loved it from the time I was little.

After training for more than 10 years, Ramon took a shot at the pro boxing circuit. They used to call me the Puerto Rican Express. When I turned 17, I turned pro. So did you ever knock anybody out in the ring? Oh, yeah, there was a lot of knockouts. Eventually, the Puerto Rican Express ran out of steam. Ramon hung up his boxing gloves

and decided to pursue the American dream. I went back to school, got my education, and I still kept training. I always wanted to be involved with boxing in some kind of way. Ramon got married young and had three children with his first wife. He eventually settled down in Houston, Texas, where he opened a boxing gym of his own where he could continue to teach his passion. I think Ramon is a nice, humble guy,

friendly, family-oriented. Raul Marquez is an Olympic boxer and Showtime commentator. He is also Ramon's longtime sparring buddy. Anybody that goes in the ring, it's gotta be tough, it's gotta be mentally tough. You know, I think he's physically and mentally tough, but like I always say, he wasn't tough enough to beat me,

beat my butt. So who is the better fighter, you or Ramon? Records speak for themselves. Just look it up. Look it up. Ramon's first marriage ended in 2000. By 2007, Ramon, then 40, was ready to get back in the ring. But this time, he was looking for a different kind of knockout.

And a friend of mine said, hey, man, there's a place where they play live music. I heard there's a lot of beautiful ladies out there, Latina ladies. Ramon decided to go and see this place for himself. And as soon as he arrived, someone special caught his eye. The place was packed, and I noticed her. Are you thinking, man, I'm fighting out of my weight class here? Yeah, yeah. She was very, very attractive.

She looked very nice, and she danced very, very well. So I just kept my eye out on her. The woman he noticed was Lulu Durantes. Next thing I know, she walks by me and she steps on my toe. Now, do you think she might have stepped on your foot on purpose? Oh, she sure did. She even admitted later on. Ramon and Lulu had an instant connection. And that was it. I mean, as soon as we started dancing, we didn't get off the dance floor for the whole night. Ramon still remembers the very first song they danced to, a popular Latin tune that the salsa band played that night. It would become their song.

Brujería is a song by El Gran Como de Puerto Rico. And it means what? Witchcraft. Witchcraft. And forgive the pun, but you were under her spell, right? Basically, yes, I was under her spell. Spellbound, after dancing the night away, Ramon went home with Lulu, and the rest was history. She doted on him. She was great.

Beth had a ringside seat to their relationship. She'd bring him coffee and get up every morning with him and make his breakfast, and I just thought it was really neat, their relationship. You know, they got along really well. They looked like a very, very happy couple. They would compliment each other. They were into each other. After less than a year of dating, Ramon dropped to one knee.

I proposed to her. It was around Christmas time. I remember proposing to her. She started crying. She cried and cried and cried, you know. And she was happy, you know. But she couldn't wait to get married. And she was happy, you know, but she couldn't wait to get married.

Lulu Durantes became Lulu Sosa on March 15, 2009. She treated me well. She treated me like a king. Lulu, originally from Mexico, came to the United States with her son and daughter. What brought her to Houston? You know, to have a new life, a better life for her children, to start again, because she was divorced in Mexico, and then she come here. JEFFREY BROWN, Natalia Flores is a hairstylist and one of Lulu's closest friends. She met Lulu back in 2007.

NATALIA FLORES, She was a nice friend, a good mom, a good worker, a hard worker. Lulu was often generous with her friends. If I would say I love that ring, she'd take it off and give it to me. I'd always be careful to say I don't like that because she'd end up giving it to me. In 2010, Ramon opened a second gym. This time Lulu was by his side. She kept the books and became a personal trainer. We offer boxing, kickboxing, and fitness training. Come check us out. How big an operation was it?

The gym was about 5,000 square feet, and we averaged about 200-some members a month. Everything was great. Little did Ramon know he would soon be in the fight of his life. What was it like growing up Sosa? Oh, my gosh. It was like being a superstar, almost. Because everyone knows my dad.

Everyone knows who my dad is. For Ramon's daughter, Mia, a former model and beauty pageant contestant, and her two brothers, growing up around a local boxing celebrity, had its perks. It was just fun. Our dad was a jokester, so every time we were around,

it was tons of laughs and smiles and all things like that. Lots of blended families experience growing pains. But Mia says life after Lulu arrived... Hi, my name is Ramon Sosa. Hi, I'm Lulu Sosa. ...was not as harmonious as those gym ads made it seem. She didn't want anything to do with us. We were like nothing to her.

Mia found Lulu's coldness not just mean, but ominous. It wasn't like she was trying to become a stepmom. She knew that at some point we weren't really going to be in her picture. What's more, the spell Lulu seemed to cast over Ramon started to eat away at his relationship with his own children. She didn't like him spending money on his kids and seeing up. We're not hanging out as much and I know we're not doing it because he's got someone else that he's paying his attention to and it's like why? I'm your daughter. Don't. Where are you going?

Ramon says there was so much animosity between Lulu and his children they weren't there for a major event in his life. My kids didn't go to my wedding. That's one thing that's hurt me. That day that we found out that he had got married, it was heartbreaking. Heartbreaking. Ramon and his new bride focused on growing their gym

into a powerhouse. For world-class training and fitness, you're not worth it. How much money were you guys making a month or a year? into a powerhouse. For world-class training and fitness, join Woodland's Bounty! How much money were you guys making a month or a year? It was probably about over $18,000, $20,000 a month. $18,000, $20,000 a month in profit? Yeah. But after six years of marriage,

the Sosa spell began to break. Lulu started confiding in her friends. She told me that he doesn't want to work too much and he stay more at home. And she's working hard and hard and hard. And accusations of Ramon's laziness were just the beginning. And she said on an occasion or two

that he was physical with her, that he had come in drinking and was physical with her. What did she mean by physical? Like grabbing her physical with her. What did she mean by physical? Like grabbing her or pushing her. Because he's a strong guy, he came and forced to do things that she doesn't want in that moment. Like sex?

Uh-huh. Did she ever tell you that Ramon would force himself upon her and force her to have sex with him when she did not want to? Yes, she did. She had said that on occasion. Lulu claims that you have raped her. Yeah, she's tried everything to ruin my life. From rape, being abusive, to being a drunk. rape, being abusive, to being a drunk, and all these claims, not one of them, not one have I been charged for. And I tell you, sir, that these hands

have never hit a woman in their lives. These have always been for fighting in the ring, not even in the streets, not even in the streets. For her to say something like that, that was really hurtful. Around the same time that Lulu was complaining to her girlfriends, Ramon says another problem suspiciously appeared. Missing money. After we started having problems at home with the marriage,

there was issues with the gym. I'm working people out a lot more, and I see new faces all the time. But when I see the bottom line here, it's not adding up. Are you worried that she's skimming money? I was worried, and I was wondering what she was doing with the money. Ramon soon learned where some of that money may have gone. In March 2015, Lulu hired divorce attorney Julio Hoglar. Lulu was in fear for her safety.

Hoglar says he was shocked by what Lulu brought with her to his office. She was able to take pictures of scratches that he left on her arms, legs, shoulders. He shared the photos with 48 Hours. According to Lulu, this was caused by Ramon at one time when he wanted to force himself to her and there was an altercation and Ramon grabbed her and scratched her. Can I see it? Yeah. That is evident that he was using force and Ramon grabbed her and scratched her.

That is evident that he was using force to push her legs out. There's scratches on her upper arm, and she claims there's a bruise on her leg that you inflicted on her. Those are all fabricated. I can tell you those are all fabricated. This is... But there was one photo that even Ramon says was not made up. As you can see in this picture, Ramon punched that door, and that can give you an idea of the strength of this man.

That admitted to that punch. She was accusing me of stuff, and that's one thing I did. I took my frustrations out. But as far as putting a hand on her, never, ever. Despite allegations of physical abuse, Ramon and Lulu remained in the same house even after she filed for divorce. They lived on different floors.

And was Lulu afraid of Ramon, afraid that he may seriously hurt her? Yes, she was afraid of that. And it was at that time, in June 2015, that this man, who asked we not show his face, was working out at the gym. He said to call him Mundo. working out at the gym. He's said to call him Mundo. Ramon Sosa, he's a friend. He's a very good mentor to me. Mundo had grown up on the tough streets of East Houston.

And he had a very, very rough background. Gangs and drugs and fighting in the streets. Then he wanted a new life, and he became like a son to me. Mundo says he was friends with Lulu as well. She was there, talking to her 16-year-old daughter when he overheard them. A conversation was taking place about a customer that was there that supposedly was claiming to be a big shot,

that he had connections of hitmen or just people that could inflict harm. What caught my attention was towards the end of the conversation, whose name came up. Did they mention Ramon? Yes. Stunned, Mundo said nothing. He came back here the next day and confronted Lulu,

who told him that ramon was physically abusing her then she said something else she's like i'm tired you know i'm tired of him it's already too much you know i wish he'll disappear i wish something you know and i'm like disappear what do you mean disappear like Like what? Disappear? And I did the pistol thing. Mundo was certain that Lulu had murder on her mind and that his friend Ramon was in danger. And what was it about the way she was talking to you that made you think this was something more than just idle words?

Her eyes. Just her eyes. I've seen that look before. Just people that are serious about what they're saying. Knowing Lulu was dead serious, Mundo had to think fast. He came up with a plan to stop her. Mundo offered to get involved and hire the hitman himself i gave lulu the impression that i was going to reach out to a hitman that i have the guys already ready mundo convinced lulu he believed her claims of abuse and would help her but it was actually all a ploy to protect his

friend ramon who he called as soon as he left the gym. And he tells me, Lulu wants to kill you. As shocking as the news was, Ramon says he instantly knew why. If I died after the divorce was finalized, she was not going to get the money that I have for my retirement. The value of the gym, the value of the home. Yeah, she had everything already figured out. Ramon immediately contacted police,

but was told nothing could be done based only on conversations with an angry wife, as threatening as they sounded. The sheriff's department needed more. They needed more evidence. So the two old boxing buddies came up with a plan. They would launch their own sting operation. Tape recorder I'm going to use.

Using his street smarts, Mundo would pretend to hire a hitman. He'd send texts to this fictitious killer with details about the hit. Details he'd share with Lulu. She needs to see that I'm going back and forth with somebody. Ramon and Mundo bought two disposable cell phones. Little did Lulu know that the target, her own husband, was holding that second phone. And the phone he's going to use to play his own hitman.

Play his own hitman? Yes, sir. I started stressing because, you know, here we are, me and Mundo doing this amateur investigation or undercover investigation. I don't know what I'm doing. But Mundo did. He started recording his daily conversations with Lulu. As the days passed, both men worried Lulu might have another hitman waiting in the wings. My thing was, what if her patience runs out?

You know, Ramon ends up dead. Or what if her patience runs out and I end up dead? Ramon told no one about what he and Mundo were up to. And living in fear over what Lulu might be up to took its toll. He started carrying a gun. I'd be at a stoplight and, you know, I would put the gun in between my legs, you know, looking left and right the whole time at a light. Ramon could not even escape his fear at night. And you're in bed, where's the gun? It's underneath my pillow,

loaded. So Mundo kept the pretend negotiations on track. We used that phone. Acting as the middleman between the fake hitman and Lulu. She's like, well, tell them I'm offering the white truck. Tell them I'm offering them jewelry. Tell them I'm offering them, you know, this much money. All this time, Ramon and Lulu were still living under the same roof. On June 9th,

weeks before Mundo overheard Lulu's threat, police had been called to the Sosa house. Lulu's defense attorney says there was an argument between Lulu's son and Ramon over a truck, which Lulu's son recorded on his cell phone. Whose vehicle is this? This is my vehicle. I have the legal documents on the right, which I need today. Please don't take my vehicle. Ramon went to take the vehicle away from Lulu's son, and when Lulu's son basically told him, no, you're not going to take my vehicle.

Please step out of my car. Ramon punched him on his face. Ram vehicle. Please step out of my car. Ramon punched him on his face. Ramon, please step out of my car. Ramon was issued a citation for assault, but he says his hand only made contact with the phone. I'm an ex-professional fighter. If I would have hit that kid, believe me, he would not be standing up right now. Ramon, please step out of my car.

I didn't put my hand on that kid. On June 30th, Ramon and Lulu faced off in court. Lulu wanted a restraining order against him. Her attorney wrote up the orders that I was abusive, that I hit her son, that they feared for their lives, you know, living with me, staying in my house. Ramon was ordered to move out of their home and stay away from the Woodlands gym. But he also got an order restraining Lulu from the first gym he owned, the one he'd opened before meeting her. Ramon says he kept his eye on the bigger prize, exposing Lulu's plot against him.

You know, she thought she had me on the ropes, about to knock me out. In boxing, that's called an eight count. I took an eight count. I got kicked out of my own house. But the boxer was about to make a comeback. Ten days after launching their sting, Ramon, posing as Paco, the fake hitman,

texts Mundo. He's gotten a 9mm gun costing $200. When Mundo received a down payment for the gun to have me kill from Lulu, that's when I said, you know what, I think we have enough. Let's take this to the police now. I got a call on a Sunday. Lieutenant Mike Atkins works for the Precinct 3 Constable's Office in Montgomery County, Texas. We had an individual claiming that there was a murder for hire against him.

How unusual was that? It's extremely unusual. It's the first one of my career. Impressed with the amateur sting, the professionals were now ready to take over. But they needed a streetwise rookie in their corner, Mundo. I was afraid, sir, that they might get that person to actually do the job. They might go with... It was important that we not change the investigation, we not change or move Mundo out of the situation because that might bring alarms.

Mundo kept stringing Lulu along, assuring her he was trying to get things done as soon as possible. Finally, he let her know everything is a go for a meeting on July 20th with the hitman, who was really an undercover agent. He looked like he could be a bad guy in a movie. I said, hey, this is the man that's supposed to kill you. Lulu agreed to a night meeting in this parking lot not far from the gym. She brought several watches and some jewelry as a down payment.

Lulu then went to an ATM machine and withdrew $500, which she brought back here to seal the deal. When someone in a murder-for-hire case actually pays some money, have they crossed a threshold? They have. It shows the level of intent. It shows the fact that they are serious, and it's come to a point where you can't turn back. Police had enough to arrest Lulu right there and then,

but they had concerns, namely Lulu's claims of Ramon's abuse. Lulu has never had any problems with the law. She's a beautiful lady, mother. We don't want to go to a jury trial and have one of the jurors feel sorry for her. And so police told Ramon what they needed to do next. We don't want to go to a jury trial and have one of the jurors feel sorry for her. And so police told Ramon what they needed to do next. We're planning to take a picture of you dead. See more of Ramon and Mundo handing over their amateur investigation to police at 48hours.com. For Ramon, the police sting to bring down Lulu seemed to be taking a cue from Witchcraft,

the first song they ever danced to. One of the lyrics, you want to send me to my cold tomb. Yeah, we're going to take a picture of you dead, you know, like in a grave, and we're going to show it to her to show proof that the hitman did the job. He was kind of dumbstruck, but then as it was explained to him, he was well on board. In order to get Ramon camera ready... It is a bullet wound. Police first had to consult some experts. Being a bunch of middle-aged men,

we don't, you know, we're not exactly versed on applying makeup. So naturally, we went to YouTube and learned how to apply makeup from teenage girls. But they also had some deadly examples to follow. Luckily, we had no shortage of crime scene photos to use as references. The assistant day was there, and he brought out some pictures of actual dead people. People with bullet holes to the head. They picked up the one that they thought was going to be the best one.

And they showed you that picture? Yeah, I was horrified. Next, they had to find Ramon a grave. We're heading to what we refer to as the dig site. Luckily for us, the county owned a right-of-way that

would give us the privacy we needed. What was going through your mind? Well, I really didn't know what it was going to look like. At this point, I already had the makeup. the, what it was gonna look like. I was at this point already, I mean, I already had the, uh, the makeup. They already started with the, with the bullet hole. The final touch, fake blood. And they told me once we got to the, uh, site, they were gonna put more blood on me.

This is it. Ramon's final resting place. So where were you lying in this grave? My head was there in that corner right there. It was right over there? Yeah. It looked like I had my hands tied behind my back. They even threw dirt on my head.

It looked like a movie scene, honestly. Was it emotional for you to be in here? Yeah, it was very emotional. It was hot. It was scary. It was just a feeling of thoughts of, you know, I can't believe this, what I'm doing. I cannot believe what I'm doing.

This is what Lulu wanted right here. This is what she wanted. Now it's time to show Lulu that this is done and it's time to get paid. JEFFREY BROWN, So a second meeting was arranged between Lulu and the hitman in this same parking lot, but this time, it was all caught on camera. It's July 22nd, 2015. Lulu then pays him.

then pays him. Lulu is shown the photo of Ramon dead in a grave. She starts laughing. No shock at all. No shock. What does that tell you about Lulu? She's a pretty cold character. The undercover detective and Lulu discuss the remaining payment, all told $3,000 in cash, watches and jewelry, and Ramon's white pickup.

Then Lulu is given more details of her husband's final moments. Lulu maintains she was the victim here. Lulu maintains she was the victim here. The reality of Ramon's death continues to sink in, and Lulu's mood appears to lift. She was happy. She even made a comment to the hitman. She asked him if he was dead, if I was not going to get up.

Like a joke. Yeah, she wanted to make sure that I was dead. She made gestures with her hand, like, you know, racing the roof. Little did Lulu know that her roof was about to come crashing down. The next morning, police come to the gym gym and it's not for a workout we want to come in and say you know hey we're inquiring about your husband that's been missing and we want to get her reaction wearing body cameras okay um detective mart Detective Martinez with the council office. Police make it seem like they're stopping in to do a wellness check on Ramon. Is there someone we can talk in private?

Sure. Apparently, Mr. Sosa hasn't been at work today. Lulu claims she has no idea where Ramon might be. I haven't seen him. I haven't talked to him. We're going to the bowl. When's the last time you saw Mr. Sosa? We saw him when they hit him, the last day.

That's the last time you saw him? That's the last time I saw him, my mom and my daughter. Lou seems pretty relaxed. She does. She knows that sooner or later, the police are going to come, either to say he's missing or they found his body. Remember, the night before she had seen his picture, she was all happy. She was all giggles and happy that Simi did,

and now she was acting concerned in front of the cops. So he hasn't contacted you since the last morning? No, no. She's in love. Police let Lulu's performance go on. front of the cops. So he hasn't contacted leaders in the last 20 minutes? No. No. He has not. Police let Lulu's performance go on a few minutes longer, then lower the boom. Okay, Ms. Sosa, stand up, please. You're under arrest.

No, I'm not. You're under arrest. Why? Back at the constable's office, Lulu is already taking issue with how she was arrested. Prior to her interview, Lulu is read her rights and refuses to speak without a lawyer. Lulu is read her rights and refuses to speak without a lawyer. Lulu is charged with solicitation of capital murder. It's an injustice, says her divorce lawyer, Julio Hoglar.

I think that Ramon Sosa is someone that was very violent to his wife, and I think that the constant hammering, the constant violence, the constant behavior towards his wife made his wife fear him. I believe that that's what forced her at the end to make a decision that otherwise she would have never made. The question now, will the jury believe Lulu's claims of abuse? Here lies Ramon Sosa, right? Yes, sir. This is like a scene from a movie where they kill these guys and just, you know,

and just dig up a hole anywhere and put them away. Very scary. For three days, Ramon had to play the part of a dead man. And nobody knew where I was. Even my family, everybody was looking for me. I was very, very upset. Rage and sadness, all the emotions came through me. Okay, Ms. Sosa, stand up, please.

You're under arrest. You're under arrest. No, no, no, I'm not. You're under arrest. Why? Following Lulu's arrest on July 23, 2015, Ramon faced the unimaginable task of telling his children that their stepmother had tried to kill him. I had just got off of a shift from working at a comedy club, and it was late. You know, I didn't expect

my brother to be sitting on my bed. You can just feel something was wrong. Mia's brother handed her the phone. Her father was on the line. And he says, very low, Mia, I'm okay. And I said, what are you talking about? And he says, I low, Mia, I'm okay. And I said, what are you talking about?

And he says, I'm okay, I'm somewhere safe, but Lulu tried to have someone kill me. That's my sister. Okay. And at this point, I mean, you don't hear anything. I didn't know what to do with myself except cry. I remember sliding on the back of the wall down to the ground and huddled into my knees, crying my eyes out.

Now Ramon had a new fight on his hands, defending his reputation. That was what hurt me so much. She had so many people believe all this stuff that I had put my hands on her, that I was an alcoholic, that I hit her son. That's how psycho this person was. Still, would Lulu use these allegations as part of her own defense? Give me a sense, how strong now is your case against

Lulu Sosa? We think it was a very strong case. We had our video, we had a down payment, we had a confirmation to her that the murder had taken place. So, you've got her. We got her.

As Lulu awaited trial, that assault charge against Ramon... Ramon, please step out of my car. ...was dismissed. And Lulu agrees to a divorce settlement that handed Ramon the gym and the house. She gave it all up. After 15 months in jail, awaiting trial on the murder for higher charges,

Lulu gave up the fight. In October 2016, as Ramon looked on, she pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree solicitation of murder, avoiding trial, and a possible life sentence. She came here with an American dream, and she got her American dream quick. And to lose everything the way she did, it's sad. Lulu was given 20 years in prison.

Is 20 years in prison. Is 20 years enough? I don't think so, but I'm happy that it's over with. I'll take it. I was just shocked that trying to hire somebody to kill her husband, that that's really all she got was 20 years. Personally, because that's my father, I want you away forever. I don't want you to come out.

Not everyone agrees. Was that justice in your opinion? My opinion, no. Lulu's divorce attorney, Julio Hoglar. Because? Because nobody got to hear her side. Many times I saw her crying.

I felt her desperation. Ramon says the ordeal has left scars. Are you haunted by this? I'll never be the same person ever again. I call my kids as much as possible. Might be the last day I say that I love them. Ramon's near-death experience has changed him.

They love our family. Mia is now back in Texas, having patched up their relationship after Lulu drove them apart. It's been a really good outcome for me and for him. You're going to get knocked out sometimes. You're going to get up, take the loss, and you're going to try harder and get a win.

Now Ramon is a sought-after speaker, telling his incredible story of survival. This past July, he shared that journey to an appreciative audience in London. Thank you, thank you, London. I'm alive. The man who Lulu thought would help kill her husband is now an author. Mundo has written a book about his experience.

If Lulu is watching this broadcast, is there anything you would want to say to her? Redeem yourself. You don't have to be what everybody tells you you are. Everybody used to tell me I was something else. Prove everybody wrong. So you could do the same. Today, Ramon wears a precious reminder of how his time on Earth almost ran out.

Tell me about the watch that's on your left wrist there. She told Mundo that when he killed me to make sure to take my watch. That's what I wear all the time now. I think she ended up picking the wrong man to victimize, don't you? Yeah. It's the last minute of the last round. She had me on the ropes.

And she had no idea that the whole time I had her playing too. Lulu Sosa comes up for parole once a year. This past Tuesday, she was denied parole for a second time. Lulu's arrest captured on police body cameras, now online on Facebook at 48 hours. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a quick survey at wondery.com slash survey. In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny

volcanic island. It's a little-known British territory called Pitcairn. And it harbored a deep, dark scandal. There wouldn't be a girl on Pitcairn once they reach the age of 10 that would still have heard it. It just happens to all of us. I'm journalist Luke Jones, and for almost two years,

I've been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on generations of women and girls from Pitcairn. When there's nobody watching, nobody going to report it, people will get away with what they can get away with. In the Pitcairn trials, I'll be uncovering a story of abuse and the fight for justice that has brought a unique, lonely Pacific island

to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn trials exclusively on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Have you ever wondered who created that bottle of sriracha that's living in your fridge? Or why nearly every house in America

has at least one game of Monopoly? Introducing the best idea yet, a brand new podcast from Wondery and T-Boy about the surprising origin stories of the products you're obsessed with and the bolder risk-takers who brought them to life. Like, did you know that Super Mario, the best-selling video game character of all time,

only exists because Nintendo couldn't get the rights to Popeye? Or Jack, that the idea for the McDonald's Happy Meal first came from a mom in Guatemala? From Pez dispensers to Levi's 501s to Air Jordans, discover the surprising stories of the most viral products. Plus, we guarantee that after listening, you're going to dominate your next dinner party. So follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to The Best Idea Yet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus.

It's just the best idea yet.