Dead Ringer | Full Episode | Forensic Files

foreign 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 head coach box welcome to witness boxing and fitness [Music] 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
it was a very very low-key kind of guy that's the furthest thing for my mind that somebody wanted me dead I remember
walking in one night as a gym was in its final hours before it closed I remember
a conversation was taking place about Hitman [Music] what was it about this conversation that
caught your attention well caught my attention was whose name came up did they mention Ramon yes
now my focus is just on talking to Ramon you're joking around you know what was going on Ramon was like don't don't play
with me like that this is some serious stuff and he said I seen that look on people's eyes 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 [ __ ] 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 side this is the actual grave where
I was supposed to be dead man we lay down with my hands behind my back my head turned it was a photographer
all I could hear was just the clicking of the camera that was that was something I saw myself in the
grave that literally That was supposed to be dead I'm the only person alive that has ever walked
out of his own grave [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] 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 I would have thought it was just something that is used to only see in movies or on TV
I would have never thought that it would be happening to me yeah 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 [Music] Beth Blair is a friend of the sosas I
saw two fun outgoing love to party loved 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 and there was a
few world champions that trained there and I just loved it from from the time I was little after training for more than
10 years Ramon took a shot at the pro boxing circuit today's economy 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 I got my education and and it started and I still kept
training you know I always wanted to be involved with boxing in some kind of way
[Music] 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 uh family oriented Raul Marquez is an Olympic boxer and Showtime commentator
he is also Ramon's longtime sparring buddy anybody that goes in a ring has got to be tough it's got to 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 you know beat my butt you know 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 man there's a place
that they want to 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 place was
packed and I noticed her are you thinking man I'm fighting out on my weight class yeah
yeah she was very very attractive you know she looked very nice and she danced very very well so I just
kept my hat on her the woman he noticed was Lulu durantes the 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 [Music]
by El Gran Combo 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 spill Spellbound after dancing the night away
Ramon went home with Lulu and the rest was history she doted on him she him straight
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 was just thought it was really neat their relationship you know they got along really well
after less than a year of dating Ramon dropped to one knee my proposed her it was around Christmas time
I remember proposing surgery started crying he cried and cried and cried you know
and she was happy you know and but she couldn't wait to get married Lulu durantes became Lulu Sosa on March
15 2009. she treated me well she treated him like a king 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 you know to start the game because she was divorced in Mexico and then she
come here Natalia Flores is a hair stylist and one of Lulu's closest friends she met Lulu back in 2007. she
was a nice friend a good mom a good worker a hard worker in 2010 Ramon opened a second gym
this time Lulu was by his side she kept the books and became a personal trainer we of her boxing kickboxing and Fitness
training come check us out how big an operation was the gene was about five thousand 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 [Music] [Music] what was it like growing up Sosa it was like being
almost my dad I was who my dad 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 I am Luna 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 hurt 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 hurt me that day that we found out that he married it was heartbreaking
heartbreaking Ramon and his new bride focused on growing their gym into a Powerhouse for
world-class training and Fitness how much money were you guys making a month it was probably about over
eighteen twenty thousand a month eighteen twenty thousand dollars a month in profit
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 stayed more at home and
she's working hard and hard and hard yeah and accusations of Ramon's laziness were just the beginning
and she said on an occasion or two that he was physical with her or that he had come in drinking and was 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 and all these acclaims not one of them
that one have have been uh charged for and I tell you sir that this hands I've never hit a woman in
their lives these have always been for finding the ring and not even 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 wearing that and I
was wondering what she was doing with the money Ramone 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 grab her and can I say scratched her yeah that is evident that he was using Force
to push our 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 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 I miss the 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 made 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 kurum also 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 and drugs and fighting the streets then he
wanted a new life and he became like 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 the conversation was taking place I'm a
customer that was there that supposedly was claiming to be a big shot that he had a connection of a Hitman 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 it's like I'm tired
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 what disappeared and I did the pistol sign
[Music] [Music] 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 describes 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 now going to get the money that I have for my retirement the value
of the gym the value 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 knew more they needed more evidence so the two old boxing buddies came up with a plan they
would launch their own sting operation the tape recorder only used using his street smarts Mundo would pretend to
hire a hitman he'd send text 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
gonna use to play his own Hitman play his own Hitman yes 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 [Music]
X as the days passed both men worried Lulu might have another hit man waiting in
the wings my thing was what if her patience runs up no remote ends up dead or whatever
her patient runs out and I end up dead Ramone 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'll be at a stoplight
and and you know I would put the gun in between my legs you know looking left and right the whole time out of light
Ramon could not even Escape his fear at night and you're in bed where's the gun uh are you still underneath my pillow
loaded so Mundo kept the pretend negotiations on track we use that phone acting as the middleman between the fake
hit man and Lulu she's like well tell him 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 9 2015 before Mundo overheard Lulu's threat police had been called to the
Sosa house Lulu's attorney says there was an argument between Lulu's son and Ramon
over a truck which Lulu's son recorded on his cell phone I have the legal documents on the right
where which I need today please don't take my vehicle Ramon went to take the vehicle away from Lulu's son and when
lulu-san basically told him no you're not going to take my vehicle please step out of my car
Ramon punch him on his face remotely 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 the next professional fighter if I would have hit that kid
believe me he would not be standing up right now Ramon Police 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're fear 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 calling a account 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 Tex Mundo he's gotten a nine millimeter gun costing two hundred
dollars 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 constables office in Montgomery County
Texas we had a individual claiming that there was a murder For Hire against him how unusual was that it's extremely
unusual it's uh 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 they might go 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 it looked like it can
be a bad guy in a movie and 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 uh 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 you know 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 uh dead Seymour of Ramon and Mundo handing over their amateur investigation to police at
48hours.com [Music] foreign [Music] the police sting to bring down Lulu seem to be taking a cue from witchcraft the
first song they ever danced to [Music] die one of the lyrics you want to send me to
my cold tomb yeah we're gonna take a picture of you dead you know like in a gray and we're going to show it to her
to show proof that Hitman did the job he was kind of dumbstruck but then as it was explained
to him he was well on board that Ramon camera ready it is a bullet Rune 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 uh 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 that was going to be the best one and I looked I always showed you that
picture yeah it was horrified next they had to find Ramon a grave we're heading to
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 the what
it was going to 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 site
they were going to put more blood on me this is it Mount final resting place so where were
you lying in this grave my head was there in that corner right there and and I was right over there yeah it looked
like I had my hands tied behind my back they even threw dirt on my on my head [Music]
it looked like a movie scene honestly was it emotional for you to be in here it was very emotional it was hot
it was scary it was it was just a feeling of thoughts of you know I can't believe
this is 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 uh it's time to get paid 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. foreign [Music] Lulu is shown the photo of Ramon dead in a grave
yard she starts laughing no shock at all no shout what does that tell you about Lulu
she's a pretty cold character the undercover detective and Lulu discussed the remaining payment all told
three thousand dollars in cash watches and jewelry and Ramon's white pickup then Lulu is given more details of her
husband's final moments Esto um Lulu maintains she was the victim here say s 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 it's 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 and it's not for a workout we want to
come and 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 police make it seem like they're
stopping in to do a wellness check on Ramon more we can talk in private apparently Mr chosen hasn't been to work
today Lulu claims she has no idea where Ramon might be divorce when's the last time you saw
him when they see kids the last day Lulu 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 this
picture she was all happy she was all giggles and happy that you see me did and now she was acting concerned in
front of the cops so he hasn't contacted leaders in the last 20 years no no no police let Lulu's performance go on a
few minutes longer then lower the Boom okay you're under arrest prior to her interview 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 force her at the end to make a decision that otherwise she would have
never made the question now will a jury believe Lulu's claims of abuse foreign 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 [Applause] I was very very upset rage and sadness all the emotions came
through me okay Miss Wilson you're under arrest 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'm okay I'm somewhere safe but Lulu tried to have someone kill me 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 the stuff that I
have put my hands on her that I was an alcoholic that I hit her son [Music] the cell cycle 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 family we got her as Lulu awaited trial that assault
charge against Ramon Ramon please step out of my car was dismissed and Lulu agreed to a divorce settlement
that handed Ramon the gym and the house she gave it all up [Music] 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
said Lulu was given 20 years in prison is 20 years enough I don't think so but I'm happy that it's over with I 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
nobody got to hear her sight many times I saw her crying I fell 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 him 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 gonna get knocked out sometimes you're gonna get up take the loss and
you're gonna try harder and get a win now Ramon is a sought after speaker telling his incredible Story of Survival
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 with everybody tells you you are you
know everybody's telling me Oh something else you 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 it 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 a plan too [Music] comes up for parole once a year her next hearing is scheduled for later this
month Ramon Sosa published his story in a book called I walked on my own grave Lulu's arrest captured on police body
cameras now online on Facebook at 48 Hours crime suspense suspicion a second night
of 48 hours Wednesday Joe Exotic is this wild cartoonish large animal owner his sworn enemy it's Carol with Big Cat
Rescue Carol's second husband Don Lewis disappeared and he just vanished for the
first time on TV a new witness you guys had a large freezer that had a padlock on it
48 Hours suspicion Wednesday at 10 9 Central on CBS [Music]

A family man 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. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Ramon Sosa survives a murder-for-hire plot by his wife Lulu, who is later arrested in a police sting operation.

Key points

Ramon's Perfect Life Shattered. Ramon Sosa, a successful boxing coach, never imagined he would be targeted for murder.
A Chilling Near-Death Experience. Ramon recalls a moment that felt like a scene from a movie, where he was supposed to be dead.
The Unraveling of a Marriage. As accusations of abuse surface, Ramon's life spirals into chaos, leading to a sting operation.
Lulu's Dark Intentions Revealed. Mundo overhears Lulu discussing her desire for Ramon to disappear, raising alarms.
The Sting Operation Begins. Ramon and Mundo devise a plan to expose Lulu's plot against him, leading to a tense sting operation.
Lulu's Cold Reaction. Lulu laughs upon seeing a photo of her husband dead, revealing her chilling demeanor.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I'm the only person alive that has ever walked out of his own grave.

Ramon shares a chilling experience about a near-death situation.

2:34WatchOct 11, 2022

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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