The Murder of Sara Raras
For this case, I watched an episode of Heart of Darkness. It’s season 1 episode 4, titled ‘Mommy Dearest.’
A 35-year-old mother leaves a chilling voicemail on her friend’s answering machine on the night she died.
Background
Sara grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was very close to her sister Nancy, who described Sara as full of energy, and always smiling.
In 1980, Sara left home to study mathematics. After graduation, she got married very young, but the relationship didn’t work out.
In 1987, Sara was offered a job as a statistician at the National Security Agency in Maryland. She loved her job and made several close friends. However, Sara felt like one thing in her life was missing.
Sara Raras
A New Relationship
While Sara was attending night classes at Johns Hopkins University to earn her masters degree, she met Lorenzo Raras. Lorenzo worked at a telecommunications company. He was described as very smart, friendly, and came from a very close Filipino family.
Three years after the couple met, they got married. Three years after their wedding, they had a son together. After the birth of their baby, the couple started to have issues. Lorenzo was jealous of the attention that Sara was giving their son.
Sara turned to her mother-in-law, Emilia, for help. Sara really wanted the marriage to work, but Emilia didn’t want to get involved.
In the summer of 1998, Sara and Lorenzo separated. Lorenzo moved in with his parents, while Sara stayed with the baby in their home.
Sara and Lorenzo
The Murder
On November 14, 1998, Sara went shopping with her friend Laura Billeter. Laura said the last thing she said to Sara was that she loved her.
In the last few days, Sara had been terrified that something was going to happen to her. She and Lorenzo had been struggling with co-parenting. Sara was afraid that Lorenzo would take their son to the Philippines. She did everything in her power to block his passport.
The next day, November 15, Laura woke up to a horrifying message from Sara. She could hear Sara yelling, and a lot of rustling background noise. Laura called the police, who arrived at Sara’s soon after.
Sara was found dead in her home. One of the windows on the porch had been broken. In the grass, the police found a machete, which had been the murder weapon. It was sent in for testing.
The police went inside to find a large amount of blood on the carpet, walls, and even on the toys near Sara’s body. There were bloody shoe prints in the home, as well.
Sara’s autopsy came back two days after her death. She had died due to blood loss. She had been stabbed multiple times in the throat, chest and abdomen.
It’s Always the Husband?
On the machete, the police found Sara’s blood mixed with unknown male DNA.
The police immediately had a suspect: Lorenzo. He was brought in for questioning. The police also learned that they had visited her home about 5 months before her death. She and Lorenzo had gotten into a verbal argument, and she called the police. Lorenzo had to be removed from the home.
After the altercation, Sara had always brought a friend with her to a public place to do the hand off for their son.
At the police station, the police became more convinced that Lorenzo was involved, as he had shown no emotion when they told him of Sara’s death. Lorenzo said he didn’t kill Sara, as he had been with his brother all weekend. His brother confirmed his alibi.
Lorenzo agreed to give a DNA sample, but it was not a match to the DNA found on the machete. The police didn't completely rule him out.
The Murder Plot
The police also looked into whether Sara’s job at the NSA was a motive for her murder. However, they couldn't find a connection.
The case went cold for months, until June 1, 1999. Det. Nate Rettig, of the Howard County police, received a call from the Baltimore County police. They had received a call from an inmate in jail for robbery. The inmate said he had a new cellmate, who had been bragging about being involved in Sara’s murder.
An informant had recorded a conversation. The man on the other end was 19-year-old Ardale Tickles. He can be heard saying that Sara was begging for her life. Ardale said he told her to “fuck off,” and that he took the knife and took her head off. He continued to describe Sara as a bitch, and clearly showed no emotion.
The police confronted Ardale with the tape. Det. Rettig showed several photos of Lorenzo, Lorenzo’s brother, and father. But, Ardale said he had never seen them before. He then showed Ardale a photo of Sara and her son. Ardale said he had seen the baby before with a woman he had once worked with at a nursing home. The woman was Lorenzo’s mother, Emilia Raras.
Ardale’s Story
Ardale said that Emilia had paid him $3,000 dollars, and had gone with him to show him where Sara lived.
Ardale said on the night of the murder, he had seen Sara sitting at her table. He was going to go through the window in the back, but decided to go through the front. He kicked the window in, and grabbed Sara as she ran towards the phone. Sara was able to dial the number 8, which was Laura’s number on speed dial.
Ardale told the police that Emilia knew he was part of a radical Nation of Islam group. Emilia told Ardale that Sara had caused the miscarriage of one of her friends, and that she wanted revenge.
Ardale had no idea that Emilia and Sara had a family connection.
She Disrespected Me
After Ardale’s confession, the police brought Emilia in. Emilia told the police that Sara was not kind or courteous to her, and that she “practically spit in my face.” Emilia felt disrespected, especially when Sara was going through her pregnancy.
The police learned by talking to Emilia that her true motive was the baby. She was going to do anything she could to keep the baby in the family.
The police asked Emilia about Ardale. She claimed that she thought he was just going to go to Sara’s to throw stones at the house. Det. Rettig thought that was the most ridiculous thing he ever heard. Why pay someone $3,000 to throw stones?
Emilia claimed Lorenzo was not involved. When she was arrested, the police wiretapped the jail house calls. There was never any proof that he was involved, even though Sara’s loved ones believe to this day that he had a hand in her death.
The Convictions
On July 12, 2000, Ardale Tickles pleaded guilty, and was convicted of first degree murder. He was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.
Emilia pleaded not guilty, and went on trial in January 2001. No family members came to support her.
The jury deliberated for 18 hours. She was found guilty of first degree murder. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole. It was the first time she had showed any emotion.
Ardale Tickles
The Raras Family (Emilia is on the far right)
Other
Emilia has since begged to be released from prison. She claimed her ten years in prison has made her less angry and more religious.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It's so heartbreaking. A young child lost his mother, and probably doesn't remember her at all. Emilia is incredibly selfish. I don’t know what their entire relationship was like, but I’m sure Sara was dealing with a lot with her pregnancy and failing marriage, to be concerned about Emilia’s clingy ass. Emilia deserves her life sentence, and I hope she feels bad about the life of her grandson’s mother.
Ardale also deserves to rot in prison because I believe he would kill again, especially if offered money.
Sources
https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2000-04-19-0004190030-story.html
https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2000-04-19-0004190108-story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/2000-01/24/059r-012400-idx.html
