Evicted Couple Sought ‘Hit’ on Son, Police Say
A couple who blamed the wife’s 20-year-old son for their eviction tried to hire a hit man to kill him, police said.
Elton and Sandra Maben were in jail after they offered detective Jack Ballentine $2,000 to kill Gerald Fitzgerald, police said.
The couple was to be arraigned on charges of conspiracy to commit murder.
The Mabens were being evicted from their trailer and apparently blamed Fitzgerald, Mrs. Maben’s son from a previous relationship.
Ballentine asked the Mabens whether they had tried to discipline Fitzgerald.
“Elton told me, ‘I tried to control him. I grabbed his lips with a pair of pliers and squeezed, but it did no good,’ ” Ballentine said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
