SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (KNX) – A San Juan Capistrano woman was convicted for the October 2019 murder of a man whose body was found in the Pacific Ocean.
The Department of Justice said Sheila Marie Ritze, 42, was found guilty of second-degree murder within in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, and making false statements to federal investigators.
Evidence showed on Oct. 15, 2019, Ritze and 40-year-old Hoang Xuan Le took Tri “James” Minh Dao on Ritze’s boat, where Le shot Dao and left him to die in the ocean where he drowned.
Dao, officials said, allegedly owed Le money.
Dao’s body was found two days later by a fisherman, according to the Orange County Register.
“During a December 2019 interview with federal investigators, Ritze told a series of lies, including when she falsely said she had never met the victim prior to the fatal October 15, 2019, boat trip,” the Department of Justice said, adding she and Dao had been in Las Vegas together prior to the murder.
On Dec. 11, 2021, Le was convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and using a firearm to commit a crime of violence. In February, he pled guilty to multiple drug charges.
Le is facing a life sentence. His sentencing hearing was set for June 27.
Ritze, whose sentencing date has not yet been revealed, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
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