Boat owner faces murder, conspiracy charges
July 10, 2020
A grand jury recommended first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder charges for a boat owner who allegedly lured a man onto her boat, according to news reports. The man was reportedly found floating in the Pacific Ocean last year, with a gunshot and wounds caused by blunt force.
The Capistrano Dispatch reported a grand jury filed a 10-page indictment for Sheila Marie Ritze, 40, on June 24. She is the owner of the boat used in the alleged murder. Ritze, according to The Capistrano Dispatch, apparently lured the murder victim onto her boat for an overnight lobster hunting trip in October 2019. The victim was then shot by another person aboard the boat, according to news reports.
Both Ritze and the alleged shooter are accused of conspiring to commit murder, The Capistrano Dispatch said about the indictment.
The shooting allegedly happened on Oct. 15, 2019, with the body found the following day off the northern coast of San Diego County.
The boating trip started and ended at Dana Point Harbor, according to news reports.
Court appearances were scheduled in July. Ritze, who is from San Juan Capistrano, and the alleged shooter could face life without the possibility of parole, if convicted.
