Pair to serve life for murder-for-hire insurance scam in Fremont

FREMONT, Calif. - A man and woman both received life sentences without the possibility of parole for first degree murder after their murder-for-hire scheme was discovered, the Fremont Police Department announced on Monday.     

Maria Moore, 50, and Marvel Salvant, 46, were convicted for killing Dominic Sarkar, 56, in an attempt to collect life insurance.     

On October 8, 2018, Fremont police received a call of gunshots fired in the 43000 block of Charleston Way. 

A witness saw a male running from the property and then flee on a bicycle. When officers entered the house, they found Sarkar dead in his bed from multiple gunshot wounds.     

Detective work determined that Moore was the primary beneficiary of the decedent's life insurance policy. Detectives further traced monetary transactions between Moore and Salvant. 

The pair had previously lived together in Seaside, police said.   

Moore told police that she had a "casual" relationship with Sarkar and she confirmed that an insurance policy had been taken out for him.     

Surveillance collected by investigators connected Salvant to a vehicle seen near Sarkar's residence on the evening of the murder, police said. 

Investigators also saw Moore and Salvant meeting at her residence in Sunnyvale. Salvant was also seen in surveillance footage watching Sarkar and lying in wait to kill him.     

The court found that Salvant agreed to kill Sarkar for a share of the insurance money.     

Both Moore and Salvant were found guilty on Feb. 7 of first degree murder with special enhancements for financial gain and lying in wait.     

Both were given life without parole, but Salvant was given an additional 25 years for his use of a firearm.