Mother and Daughter Plead Guilty to Violent Felonies

District Attorney Jan Scully recently announced that Helen and Shirley Costello pled to five counts of residential burglary as serious and violent felonies before the Honorable Michael Sweet. The defendants will each be sentenced to 8 years in prison on April 12, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. in Department 20 of the Sacramento Superior Court.

Helen and her daughter, Shirley, engaged in a series of residential burglaries over the month of January. Their targets were elderly victims in the Tahoe Park, Meadowview, and Arden Arcade areas. They approached victims and claimed to be their former neighbors, or said they were interested in buying a home or used automobile in the area. They often asked to use the victim's restroom and once inside, one defendant distracted the victim while the other searched for valuables.

The Sacramento Police Department arrested the defendants after a burglary on January 21, 2013. It is suspected that they may have victimized other people in Sacramento County.

If you know of any similar burglaries in your area, please call the Sacramento Police Department's non-emergency line at 916-264-5471.