VIDEOS: '48 Hours Mystery' show on Lomita's Black Widow set for Saturday
The press releases is out from "48 Hours Mystery," which on Saturday night will broadcast a report on the "Lomita Black Widow" case we covered here at the Daily Breeze in 2006 and 2007.
I was interviewed for the show.
Here's the publicist's release:
WOMAN ACCUSED OF KILLING BOTH HER HUSBANDS WINDS UP DEAD
CBS NEWS "48 HOURS MYSTERY"- SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2009
Sonia Rios's life was a true rags-to-riches story. She grew up poor in the
Philippines, but after moving to the United States as a young woman,
she opened up her own successful beauty salon and drove around Southern
California in a Corvette. It seemed like an inspirational tale on the
surface, but many people who knew Sonia Rios used one word to describe
her: "evil."
Known to be a "Navy groupie," in 1990 Sonia married
Commander Larry Risken. Their marriage seemed solid, but years later
Larry learned Sonia was sabotaging his efforts to adopt two of her
young relatives back in the Philippines. It was the ultimate betrayal
and Larry asked for a divorce. Sonia consented, but only if Larry still
went on a long-planned trip to visit the children in the Philippines.
Larry Risken left, but never returned.
In April of 2006, Larry's sister, Sherry Jackson, received the startling news. Two men on a
motorcycle pulled up to her brother's car and one of them shot him in the head and stomach. Larry Risken was assassinated. While still grieving her loss, Sherry soon received even more shocking news. Sonia had a first husband, Earl Bourdeau, and he had also been shot in the
head while staying with Sonia's family in the Philippines.
Both Earl and Larry's families have no doubt who was responsible. "Sonia
used the Philippines as a killing ground in two murders," Sherry says, "and no one has been brought to justice." But that's not the end to the story. Almost one year after Larry's murder, someone went to Sonia's salon and fired one shot at her. After missing, the shooter vowed to
return. And then nine days later, someone followed through on that promise. Police found Sonia Rios lying in a pool of blood inside her home - with a bullet wound to the head.
Many people had motives for killing Sonia Rios. Could her murderer be a family member of one of her husbands? A grown son she kept a secret from everyone? Or possibly a relative from the Philippines? No one has been charged in the case.
So who murdered "The Black Widow of Lomita?"
Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports on 48 HOURS MYSTERY: "Conspiracy to Kill,"
Saturday, Jan. 31 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. This broadcast is produced by Joe Halderman and Sara Rodriguez. Peter Schweitzer is the senior producer. Al Briganti is the executive editor. Susan Zirinsky is the executive producer.
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About the Blogger
Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
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I knew Sonia for years my mother and best friend went to her salon. I went along for the ride and to read the mags. She would talk about her brother and nephew were giving her problems and driving her crazy.
dmf
i knew romero i slept in his cube while in the navy. He robbed me of everything i owned right before he got out of the navy. i could easily see him as the murder he was someone who didnt value anything at all.
Commenter: If you have time, give me a call. I'd love to talk to you. You can remain anonymous. 310-543-6655 or email me at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com
"annonymous" I really don't believe he stole anything from u and if he did u can't capare stealing to murdering!!!! I also know fernando n I know the kind of person he is!!! he is his mothers only son and a father of 3 lovely children with one on the way u have no right to say such stupid sh*t obviously your mad because someone took your stuff and you assume it was him!!!!! and for the record fernando had nothing to do with any of this! those detectives just want to close a case and want to pin it on anybody!!!! had they known who da killers were why weren't they arrested years ago!!!
I think sonia killed her two husbands, they both got shot in the head while visiting PI with her family and relatives. Now, she also got shot in the head. Well, what you sow is what you reap!!! Sow good! Reap good!
If you are going to engage in a relationship with someone, you should consider meeting their family, and developing a relationship with them.
sonia rios most likely, came ORIGINALLY from the SOUTH of the Philippines. im not being judgemental, but it's been proven gazillion times.
"Bisaya" as we call it here in P.I. are gold diggers. period. if im going to profile 'em...they usually came from verrrry poor families down south...with big, lazy family members and relatives..."bisayas" crave for money - and will do whatever it takes to get it! and once they got it, they will FLAUNT it!
so to all americans, be warned!
My son went to the Phillipines last year to meet a gal he met online, met her family, came back, she was pregnant, had the baby (looks like him) and now he is doing the paperwork to get her here without the baby so he can marry her. She is going to take her RN test in the states. Seems nice enough. I saw this show and asked him if they talked about life inurance, He said they had. I said his dad and I had about 20,000 and he said it was 250,000 to take care of the baby he has never seen. My son isn't speaking to me now. Should I be worried, how would I know. help!
I particularly empathize with the families of the victims, and sincerely hope justice for Sonia Rios' husbands.
While Louisse provides a suggestion of Sonia Rios' origins, I feel that the manner by which s/he has sweepingly generalized people from the Central Philippines, calling them Visayans and as lazy and gold-digging people, leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. If the intention is to flaunt ethnic superiority over others, the descriptions, to the least, are totally uncalled for. Too much of the ethnic biases, without a hint of sensitivity or sense of reflection on the relativity of human capacities regardless of ethnicity or place of origin.
While it is true that stifling social conditions in the Philippines provide the opportunity for some Filipino women to aspire marriage with foreigners, in this case Americans, it may also be worthy to know that not everyone aspires for the same. Factors, such as social class or educational background, provide cleavages for others to aspire or not aspire marriage with foreigners. That may be a good point to dwell on, Shirley. It would be worth your time to know, or ask someone to investigate, your son's partner. Sometimes, images of deceptive and vicious Filipinas marrying foreign husbands for the money glosses over our capacity to know them objectively. However, portions of these images may be true as exemplified by the case of Sonia Rios. Your concern is very understandable. I hope you reconnect with your son soonest, and be provided with a sense of security regarding his relationship with this girl he met online.
@louisse
putang ina mo! utak mo bulok...