Maria Sosa: Exotic Dancer Turned Murder-For-Hire Villainess

I've been a true crime enthusiast since high school, and I am more often drawn to stories of crimes committed by women, with shows like Snapped and Deadly Women continuing to prove the words of Rudyard Kipling to be true: "The female of the species is deadlier than the male." The murder-for-hire stories often intrigue me, because it always amazes me that a person could be so callous and cruel as to actually pay (lots of) money to have someone else killed. Even more amazing, a lot of the murder-for-hire stories I've heard have featured women as the mastermind, and one such woman was Maria Sosa.

Maria Sosa was born Maria Lourdes Durantes in Mexico on February, 11, 1974. She was a dancer known as Lulu at a salsa club known as Mi Luna, which is where she met retired boxer Ramon Sosa in 2007. The couple got married two years later; the second marriage for Ramon, as he was divorced with three adult children. Maria became a U.S. citizen later on in the marriage, with Ramon helping not only Maria, but her mother and her own teenage children become legalized citizens. A year later, the couple opened Woodland Boxing and Fitness, a gym in Houston.

You would think all would be well after that, right? As Lee Corso often says, "Not so fast, my friend."

Once Maria received her citizenship, she underwent a noticeable change in personality. Mia Sosa, Ramon's daughter, stated in an interview that Maria wanted nothing to do with her stepchildren and resorted to starting fights and causing disarray amongst the family. Ramon himself revealed that while they were on vacation in Puerto Rico, Maria started an argument that led to her calling hotel security with accusations that Ramon was abusing her, only for her statements to be proven false.

By March of 2015, Maria took money from their gym and used it to get a divorce lawyer, while continuing to make random accusations of embezzlement, abuse, and even rape against Ramon, all of which were rebuffed. Maria turned heel months later by planning to have Ramon killed, even going as far voicing her murderous desire to a friend/protege of Ramon's in Gustavo, who was often called Mundo. When asked by Maria if he knew someone who could kill Ramon, he recommended someone to her, but afterwards, Mundo went straight to Ramon and informed his mentor about Maria's heel turn and her plot against him.

The pair worked together to have the villainess arrested, which included going to the police, who sent an officer to go undercover and pose as a hitman and meet Maria. The meeting saw Maria vent and lash out against Ramon, and repeatedly voice her desire to want her ex-husband dead. As part of the scheme, Ramon's death was staged, as he was placed in a shallow grave and portrayed himself as having been fatally shot near the temple, with Maria being shown the photo of the "deceased" Ramon. The villainess actually smiled and laughed over the image before paying the hitman, but on the following day, Maria ended up arrested as she returned to the gym.

In October of 2016, Maria pleaded guilty to the murder-for-hire scheme, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison; she had been denied parole at every turn, and with the year she had already served following her arrest, she is set to be released sometime in July of 2035--which would see Maria reach the age of 61. Throughout the entire trial, Maria refused to look at Ramon and showed no remorse for her actions, which doesn't surprise this true crime enthusiast.

Plain and simple, Maria was greedy, callous, and cold-hearted. This, in my view, is a classic case of a person who had nothing, then after seeing that they've hit the jackpot, they want it all--and will even resort to murder to get it. Maria definitely believed that she won the lottery when she married Ramon. She went from being a dancer to being a prominent businesswoman, but it wasn't enough for Maria. After getting what she had longed for, she showed her true colors and started biting the hand that fed her (an understatement) in a quest to get everything, and when she didn't get what she wanted, she saw Ramon as an obstacle and planned to eliminate him. In all, Maria Sosa was truly a cold-blooded villainess, and this true crime tale continues to fascinate me every time I think about it.