In a shocking case that has stunned Los Angeles residents, Caroline Joanne Herrling, 44, known as “Carrie Phenix,” has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for orchestrating a multimillion-dollar squatting scheme that ended in the gruesome dismemberment and disposal of a man’s body.
Caroline’s elaborate racket involved fraudulently obtaining real estate property in affluent neighborhoods, targeting homes whose residents appeared unable to care for their properties. The scheme culminated in the occupation of a luxury home in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood, where 71-year-old Charles Wilding resided.
Tragically, Charles passed away under mysterious circumstances in September 2020, and instead of reporting his death, Caroline and her co-conspirators took over the property while his body decomposed inside. They went on to loot his assets, utilizing forged documents to impersonate Charles and steal his real estate and financial accounts.
Caroline’s audacious attempts to cover up the crime included posing as a close friend of the victim and fabricating stories about Charles’ whereabouts. She even claimed to be the trustee of his family trust, which was later revealed to be a forgery.
The depths of Caroline’s depravity became apparent when investigators discovered that she and her associates had moved Charles’ body to her apartment, where they attempted to dissolve it in a concoction of chemicals. When this macabre plan failed, they resorted to dismembering the corpse and disposing of the remains in San Francisco Bay with the help of a sailboat owner.
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Despite extensive efforts by authorities, Charles’ remains have never been recovered, leaving his loved ones without closure and his memory tarnished by the heinous acts of Caroline and her co-conspirators.
The sentencing of Caroline to 20 years in prison serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of preying on vulnerable communities and engaging in criminal activities driven by greed and callous disregard for human life. As US Attorney Martin Estrada emphasized, there must be serious consequences for those who perpetrate such atrocities, and justice must be served for the victims and their families.
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