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Background

As an adult, Maureen McDermott was a well-respected nurse and respiratory therapist. She had worked hard all her life and had no criminal record. Her hard work paid off, as she saved enough to purchase a home in Van Nuys, California, in the 1980s.

In 1982, she met Stephen Eldridge at a local gay bar. Even though she was ten years older than Eldridge, the two became friends.

At some point in their friendship, she trusted him enough to ask him if he wanted to rent her home, as she was planning to travel to Saudi Arabia with a friend to work as a nurse.

Instead of renting, he offered to buy into the property. At first, McDermott declined the offer, but eventually, she gave in, and the two became co-owners.

In December 1984, at Eldrige’s suggestion, they both purchased $100,000 life insurance policies with each other as beneficiaries.

This was protection, so if anything ever happened, the other person could use the life insurance funds to pay off the property.

In early 1985, their relationship began to go downhill. Eldrige felt McDermott needed to do a better job keeping the home clean. McDermott, on the other hand, didn’t like how Eldridge treated her pets.

McDermott was sick of Eldridge and wanted the 100,000 dollars. She had worked with an orderly named Jimmy Luna. Luna was known as a liar, an oddball, and sadistic. He had slashed the tires of a coworker, threatened to kill his bosses, stole one of his coworker’s cars, and brought in drugs for addicted patients.

Most people at the job tried to avoid him, but McDermott maintained an excellent relationship with him and would even give him money.

Crime

In February 1985, she asked Luna to kill McDermott in exchange for a portion of the life insurance. Luna agreed to the murder plot and showed up at their home several times but got cold feet.

Soon, he recruited his friend Marvin Lee to help him.

On March 21st, 1985, Luna and Marvin went to McDermott and Eldridge’s home. Once inside, they beat and cut Eldridge while calling him gay slurs. They couldn’t complete the job because he escaped the home. The two home invaders escaped the house with $35.

On April 29th, 1985, at around 8:15 pm, Luna and Marvin returned to the home with Marvin’s brother Dondell.

They got in through a window that McDermott had left open. They cut 37-year-old McDermott on her breast and thigh.

They waited until 10:40 pm when 27-year-old Eldridge came home. They ambushed him and stabbed him 44 times, killing him. Once he was dead, Luna cut off his penis, which he took home and flushed down the toilet.

Eldridge called 911, pretending she was attacked during a burglary. She was taken to the hospital.

Seeing that Eldridge was still wearing a watch and necklace, authorities ruled out the burglary angle.

The investigation led to Luna’s arrest in July 1985. He would later plead guilty to first-degree murder in exchange for life in prison.

McDermott was arrested in August 1985 but maintained her innocence. The Lee brothers were both given immunity in exchange for testifying against McDermott.

Trial

At her 1990 trial, McDermott did not take the stand.

On March 2nd, 1990, she was found guilty of attempted murder and first-degree murder with the special circumstances of lying in wait and murder for financial gain.

At her sentencing on April 28th, 1990, she called the judge a “power-hungry woman.” She also said, ” I did not kill Steven Eldridge, and I had nothing to do with the murder.

After her words, the judge sentenced her to death. It has been 39 years since the crime.

The now 74-year-old will likely never be executed.