OAKLAND (BCN) -- A judge is ruling that an Oakland woman should stand trial on  charges that she attempted to murder her estranged husband and murdered his  91-year-old grandmother because of a custody battle over their 2-year-old  daughter.

At the end of a preliminary hearing that spanned several  weeks, however, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Thomas Reardon said prosecutors  didn't produce sufficient evidence to order Rosa Hill, 34, to stand trial on  a special circumstance of committing a murder during the course of a burglary  in connection with the Jan. 7 incident in which Selma Hill was killed at her  home in the 770 block of Peppertree Road in Dublin.

Reardon also ruled late Thursday that Rosa Hill's mother,  56-year-old Mei Li of Antioch, should stand trial on a charge of premeditated  attempted murder for allegedly trying to kill Hill's husband, Eric Hill.

But Reardon dismissed a murder charge against Li in connection  with the death of Selma Hill, whose battered body was found in a garbage can  outside her house.

In addition, Reardon ordered Ping Li, 68, the husband of Mei Li  and the father of Rosa Hill, to stand trial on charges of attempted murder  and first-degree burglary for allegedly being an aider and abettor in the  incident.

Police said Selma Hill had been beaten, choked and shot with a  stun gun before she died. Tasers, handcuffs, duct tape and a baton were found  at the scene.

Prosecutor Annie Saadi alleged that the crimes were committed  because Rosa Hill was trying to take her 2-year-old daughter from Eric Hill.

Eric Hill, who's the father, had sole custody of the girl and 85  percent physical custody. He was living with his grandmother, Selma Hill, at  her house in Dublin.

During the hearing, Selma Hill's 91-year-old boyfriend, Lester  Rowe, testified that he became concerned and called authorities on Jan. 7  because he had called her seven times that day and there was no answer.

Saadi said in her closing argument on Thursday that she thinks  Rosa Hill and her parents came to Selma Hill's home that day to take her  2-year-old daughter because the trial over custody rights was coming up in  February and "she was afraid she would lose."

Saadi said Mei Li tried to strangle Eric Hill and "if he had not  fought back he would have been strangled."

Rosa Hill and her parents are scheduled to return to court on Nov.  19 to be arraigned.
 
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