Conspiracy To Kill

A Woman Suspected Of Killing Both Her Husbands Winds Up Dead

(CBS)  This story was originally broadcast on Jan. 31, 2009. It was updated on Aug. 1.

Larry Risken was a Navy officer. Earl Bourdeau was a Marine.

Nineteen years apart, they married the same woman: Sonia Rios.
And both military men met the same fate - ambushed and gunned down in the Philippines, in the presence of Sonia's family.

The families of Risken and Bourdeau say they're sure Sonia was the mastermind in both killings.

Then a year after Larry's Risken's murder, Sonia suffered the same fate herself - gunned down in her home, on the south side of Los Angeles. By then, she'd been dubbed, "The Black Widow of Lomita."

Three murders, few answers, and clues that take 48 Hours on our own investigation halfway around the world. What we help dig up - literally - is an amazing story.

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Growing up in Washington State, Sherry Jackson was always close to her big brother, Larry Risken.

"Larry was the clown of the family. He was very well liked, funny… he was like a big kid," she says.

Larry followed his father's footsteps into the Navy, enlisting when he was 20 years old and rising to the rank of Commander.

"He was a loving son and a real patriot and you don't see much of that anymore," says Law Risken. He says his son was a leader - until he met Sonia Rios.

For Larry, it was love at first sight, but his sister thought Sonia, who Jackson describes as "flamboyant" and "very attractive," was trouble. "…something wasn't right," she says.

Sonia was very secretive about her past. All the Riskens knew was a vague story about a previous marriage and a divorce. "I knew absolutely nothing about her background," Jackson says.

"There was always a story-within-a-story probably is the best description of Sonia," according to Henry Hoskins, a bail bondsman and the head of the local Chamber of Commerce who has been friends with Sonia for more than 25 years.

"She had the Corvette that she drove. She was very successful. She was a very successful business woman… I think she came up the hard way," he says of her rags-to-riches story.

Sonia, who owned a thriving beauty salon in Lomita, Calif., grew up poor in the Philippines.

Her home was just down the road from Sangley Point, a U.S. Naval base. Sonia moved to the states in the 1960s. Hoskins says she was always attracted to servicemen.

"She was very, very into the social events of the military, of the Navy," Hoskins says.

After a brief courtship, Larry Risken and Sonia were married in 1990, not once, but in three separate ceremonies. Sherry Jackson says neither she nor her parents were invited to any of them.

Sonia told Larry his family wasn't welcome and it created a rift between him and his family that would last for years.

"It was devastating, because that wasn't Larry," Jackson says. "We were so close and it all changed."

But Sonia and Larry did travel to the Philippines to spend time with her family. On one trip, Larry met Sonia's niece, Quinzy, and nephew, Jetmark.

"Tell me about the Larry that you knew," Van Sant asks Jetmark.

"I called him Papa," he replies. "He is really a good man, and also a father to me."

Larry and Sonia decided to adopt the children, whose family wanted them to have a better life in the United States. Sonia promised to make the adoption happen.

After a long career in the Navy, Larry left active duty in 1995 to become a teacher. "He was a Special Ed teacher for high school students," his sister explains. "The time and love he gave to those children, it was amazing."

Teacher Eileen Stevens worked with Larry at Lawndale High School. "I was struck with how much he cared about what happened to these students after they left his classroom and the school," she says.

Larry's new job was going really well, but his marriage was not. For years, Larry believed Sonia was working to finalize the adoption of Quinzy and Jetmark.

"Year after year would go by, and Sonia would tell him that there was something wrong with the paperwork and then he found out she was sabotaging the whole adoption process," Jackson explains. "He just said, 'I can't believe it. She lied to me all these years.'"

Fed up with Sonia, Larry began seeing his friend, Eileen Stevens. Stevens says "Larry told his wife that he had feelings for me." Sonia flew into a rage.

"Sonia went on the attack, didn't she?" asks Van Sant.

"Attack is a great word for it," Stevens replies. "She told school personnel that her husband was using drugs. She told a parent that Larry and I were abusing her son."

No one believed Sonia's wild accusations, but Larry had enough. He told Sonia their 16-year marriage was over.

Sherry Jackson says she never saw her brother so happy. "It was like this big weight off his shoulders."

Sonia agreed to the divorce, but said they would only separate after Larry's long-planned trip to visit the kids in the Philippines. He would go alone.

"She knew that divorce was never going to happen." Jackson says she was terrified her brother was walking into a trap.

"He called my dad and I before he left. He was very excited to go, very excited to see the kids," she says. "I just had a horrible feeling…something bad was going to happen to him. I'm saying 'Larry don't go to the Philippines.' Something inside me is telling me that my brother is going to be harmed."

[hercule1122]

To curious51:

I wish you success in finding out what happened to your son. It is unfathomable to lose a child and not have definitive proof of why they died. I am sure you have contacted local authorities. It never hurts to go to the very top there, i.e. the governor. If you present him a cogent case, I feel sure he will have it investigated by his staff. Good luck!

[Wine_Goddess]

i am a filipina, but not all filipinas are like Sonia. I agree that Sonia is evil. But she's not the alone. there are a lot of women from different race who kills or hire someone to kill their husband. filipino race is not perfect, but we do strive hard to survive in this world of chaos. please do not make this incedent into a racial thing. this is a case of a person, an evil person, who got what she deserve.

[hrlpopeye]

You said Alot!...Evil, is all Over the World...We all try to Find the True meaning of Life, and Hope to find Peace in this World. Poverty, helps breed Evil, as in the Case Of "Sonia" she is a product of Rags to Riches...Jealousy, Greed, Play a part too!...There are many Good people in the Philippines and Elsewhere! (Enjoy your Day)

[curious51]

Conspiracy to Kill~
THIS happens more than WE want to believe!
Take the case of my son, Joshua (19), who was found dead in Amsler Park/McGregor, Tx on February 16, 2006, in which McGregor PD did NOT investigate!
The autopsy does not support a suicide theory, as there is no etiological specific disease/injury to attribute to his death.
I would have to say THIS constitutes a Conspiracy, and after 3+ years of researching this case, I know now that Joshua was murdered by McGregor PD.
Prove it? I need help to do this, as there is no local/state/federal entity willing to extend a hand to get justice!
Read: www.americaiswatching.org (Joshua Robinson) Attached documents, including a crime scene photo, statement that a McGregor patrol officer was the last person to see Josh alive in Amsler Park which has a 10PM curfew for everyone, petition, etc.
As of today, 3+ years later, McGregor will not tell me which officer, out of two on duty, saw Joshua.
Please support me in my fight for JUSTICE!

[hrlpopeye]

I believe these horrific terrible killings happen so often, cover-ups,
thru- fake lying Police Reports! It happened in my own family,,,The
DNA Forentic Science is closing in on them, also the Video camera's in Police Cruisers, helps too! I thinks Today, We should consider ourselves "Lucky" meaning Better Off than those who lived in previous
generations! I Do support You in your "Fight for JUSTICE" Start with
these steps, (1) Write All Your Senator's and Congress People of your State, Next Contact the News Media, Than, The Governor of The State,
Than Write the President and Vice President Of the U.S.A.; Contact diferent newspaper Media , thru-out the country! If they Ignore You
Embarrass Them, Contact News media's ThruOut the World! Somebody Will Listen and Take Action>>>Start Writing (((NOW)))!!!

[sioux4life1]

I saw this program, seems to me the old saying, WHom ever lives by the sword, dies by the sword. In her case a bullet to the head. So sad for both families.

[Agn007nes_is_an_idiot]

This is directed to Agn007nes: First, your grammar is atrocious and I've seen better logic used by a 5 year old. African-Americans are disproportionately represented in the penal system due to, among other things, unequal treatment by existing laws. Crack cocaine vs. the powdered variety are sentenced differently, yet it is the former that African-Americans are usually arrested, and given heavier sentencing for, while Whites are given lighter sentences and probation for powdered cocaine. It would therefore be wrong to say that all or most African-Americans are more criminally minded than Whites because of what we see at face value in our prison systems; yet, you can paint an even broader brush by saying that Filipino women are "evil, spiteful and revengeful." What metric are you using? Is this supposed to be a common occurrence among that race? One piece on 48 hrs about a murder for hire by some whack job, and you blame the entire community? What race are you? I can easily make some broad stereotypes about Americans, African- Americans, and other nationalities, but it wouldn't hold true, because we all know many who won't fit that stereotype. By making your comment, you've probably contradicted yourself because you've probably admonished someone for doing the same to you once. You're obviously uneducated/undereducated and not well-traveled and you've got a chip on your shoulder. Anybody with even a smidgen of intelligence wouldn't believe your comments. Just FYI, nurses are recruited from the Philippines because they are "English speaking" and they have 4yr degrees from coursework that's similar to American schools. Filipino nurses have to pass the FNG (Foreign Nursing Graduate) exam and the U.S. based N-Clex (state board exam) before they can even practice here. You can't fake those results. Compare that to some Americans who have 2yr associates degrees from some community college's nursing program and ask yourself: Who would I rather have taking care of me when I'm sick? Now go back to high school and re-take that English course again.

[sports4]

I have been a nurse for many years. I am from the old diploma system. I have seen good and bad nurses from every system. If you have any intelligence, (and obviously you think you have)you will want the nurse who CARES whether you live or die and not one from any particular system.

[9p7]

ONE DOES NOT REPRESENT ALL.

I have an American blood. I met a lot of American people, most of them are evil, spiteful and revengeful. But I never ever think that "They are a bunch of ________ people, that looks so innocent like a saint."

[Agn007nes]

Everyday I work with these people from the Philippines. I know them very well, they loved the health care field, they are employed at nearly all of the hospital in the US. On the outside they seems nice to people but the inside they are evil, spiteful and revengeful, the men are ok, but the women you have to watch your back. Most of them were brought here on contract to work in hospitals, and some have went to nursing school in the US using false document from the Philipines to enter certain private nursing schools. They go home to the Philippines and come back with whatever document you wanted, for school, work, etc. They are a bunch of corrupt people, that looks so innocent like a saint.

[3d3d3d]

I did the Sonia Rios Risken / Henry Hoskyns tour today on Sunday 8/02/09 after watching the show . I live very close to the shootings . A friend of mine lives one block from Sonia's house at 1819 W. 252nd Street in Lomita,Ca. It's scarey when I drove up believe it or not Sonia's corvette was still in the driveway . After 2 years since she was killed it was like i saw a ghost when I saw the car !!!!Someone lives there i do not know who it is . The neighbor kids said it was a chinese man , they saw him when they kicked a ball into the yard . I think the person is filipino . Then I took some pictures at her old hair salon at 2144 Lomita blvd. She lived 4 blocks from her salon a very short drive .It's still a salon with a different name . I went up the road to Henry Hoskyns business and apartment . Quiet on a Sunday . It's at 16501 S. Western ave. in Gardena,Ca. Reports he killed himself earlier in the week . I'm not sure which apt was his their are only 4 units above the Bail Bonds business . This is a very interesting story that I hope gets solved someday .Here's a link to the photos I took . Let me know what you think of them , Thanks http://48hoursmmtour.shutterfly.com/

[hrlpopeye]

I was looking at the White Corvette she drove! The Plates are Blue, looks like classifed as a Antique, I saw her driving a Red Corvette, maybe she had it repainted to White...She cut my hair I think in July 1990, That's when the (Long Beach Navy Base) was in tack and operating as a Active Navy Base and with Ships and a Full support activities. How things change I trying to get the photos you taken..I guess I did something wrong, because I can't access them....AnyHow Take Care

[lemanssport1]

I have found out the hard way that woman from the Philippines can fraudulently come over to America and can have a mental illness,be a danger to their own child and others,and main focus being money to their family back in the Philippines. Homeland Security and the States legal system will do nothing. The Immigrant gets pro-bono lawyers and mothers rights. It does not matter what the immigrant has done in the past or present the courts will seal it up and grant care of the child to the mother and call the abuse discipline. The ex-husband will be ordered to pay support for life to the immigrant for sponoring her even if she came over fraudulently and commited child abuse, fraud and perjury. Working class peaple can not afford to fight pro-bono lawyers very long and I have found our constitutional rights are not valid if we do not have any more money to fight Judges and attorneys that lidagate their personal views in the court rooms.