Man fakes own death to prove wife hired hit man to kill him

A man was able to reveal how his wife had hired a hitman to kill him by faking his own execution.

While it's something that sounds like it's come straight out of a dramatic thriller movie, this is exactly what happened to Ramon Sosa back in 2015 when he and his wife, Maria ‘Lulu’ Sosa, were going through a divorce.

Ramon, from Houston, Texas first met Lulu back in 2007 and the pair married shortly after, going on to open up a gym and boxing ring together - Woodlands Boxing and Fitness.

Lulu, from Mexico, became an American citizen after three years of being married to Ramon - which is when he started to believe 'she didn't need me anymore'.

"It was going downhill quick," the boxing coach said to VICE. "There was no option but to go get a divorce."

VICE

During this period, unbeknown to Ramon, Lulu went to the shocking lengths to contact a man named Gustavo to see if he could organise a hit on her husband - but little did she know that Gustavo was friends with Ramon.

Being the good friend he is, Gustavo immediately went to Ramon with this shocking information.

Speaking to The Sun of the moment he found out what his wife had done, Ramon said: "After the reality it set in I became angry, sad and confused; a whole mix of emotions, each fighting the other to be the dominant feeling.

"And then it hit me that I still had to live under the same roof with the person planning to have me murdered.

"Yes, I slept with the enemy and with one eye open, all while trying to act as ‘normal’ as possible so Lulu would continue with her plan. Keep in mind, that was the only way we could catch her in the act."

Ramon and Gustavo soon joined forces and Gustavo wore a microphone during his next meeting with Lulu, taping the entire conversation before handing the evidence to Houston police.

VICE

Unfortunately, the tape alone wasn't enough to hold against Lulu so the police suggested Ramon 'fake his own death' and photograph it.

With the support of the FBI, Texas Rangers painted bloody makeup on Ramon's head so it looked as though he had been shot through the temple.

Speaking of the staged photograph, Ramon said: "It was chilling. Utterly and indescribably chilling. That picture, to this day, reflects one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life.

"The thought of me lying in a shallow grave in my underwear with a bullet hole through my temple is mind boggling.

"All of this drama to prove to Lulu, my beloved, that I was dead. One will never be able to wrap their mind around that kind of madness!"

An undercover police officer posing as the hitman later met Lulu in a carpark, where he showed her the pictures of her supposedly dead husband.

VICE

Police then arrested Lulu and she pleaded guilty to solicitation of murder at the District Court in Conroe, Texas. She was sentenced to 20 years behind bars in October 2016.

It has been almost eight years since the harrowing incident, and Ramon has gone on to release a book to tell his story - I Walked On My Own Grave.

"My hope is that my book helps every man and woman that [may] find themselves in an abusive relationship, to find the courage to speak up and seek help," he said.

"Whether it is physical, mental or emotional abuse… please get help, immediately."

If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247