Pamela Anne Phillips was once a prominent socialite, former model, and real estate entrepreneur. She was known in Aspen, Colorado, and Tucson, Arizona circles for her beauty, success, and connections in elite society. She gained particular recognition in the 1980s and early 1990s for her work in commercial real estate and enjoyed the lifestyle that came with her success. Phillips married Gary Triano, a wealthy and well-known businessman from Tucson, Arizona, on October 4, 1986. During their marriage, they had two children together, Trevor and Lois.

Gary Triano had previously amassed a fortune through investments in Indian gaming casinos and other business ventures. However, by the early 1990s, his financial empire collapsed. At the time of their divorce in 1993, Triano had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing $40 million in debt. The breakdown of their marriage was reportedly bitter, complicated by financial tensions and custody arrangements. After the divorce, Phillips relocated to Aspen with their children, where she resumed her career in real estate.

During her years in Aspen, Phillips became involved with Ronald Young, a small-time conman and fugitive with a history of fraud and forgery. Their relationship would eventually prove pivotal in the tragic and explosive murder case that shocked both Arizona and national audiences. Despite her glamorous image, Phillips would later become embroiled in one of the most high-profile murder-for-hire cases in the state’s history.

On November 1, 1996, Gary Triano was killed in a car bombing at the La Paloma Country Club in the affluent Catalina Foothills area near Tucson, Arizona. The bomb had been planted inside his Lincoln Town Car and was detonated via remote control. The brutal and calculated nature of the attack stunned investigators and residents alike. Triano was 52 years old at the time of his death and had been scheduled to play golf at the country club on the day he was killed.

Almost immediately, investigators began to suspect that the motive may have stemmed from financial or personal conflicts. It was discovered that Phillips had taken out a $2 million life insurance policy on Triano shortly before his death, naming their two children as the primary beneficiaries. However, the payout was directed to Phillips in 1997. This, combined with her connection to Ronald Young, quickly turned her from grieving ex-wife to prime suspect.

Evidence surfaced showing that Phillips had been in consistent contact with Young prior to and after Triano’s death. A van rented by Young and later found abandoned in California contained documents referencing Phillips, the Triano divorce, and a sawed-off shotgun. Phone and email records eventually confirmed that the two had maintained secret communication related to planning the murder.

Ronald Young was finally apprehended in 2005 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after being profiled on America’s Most Wanted. Although he was initially held on unrelated charges, including fraud and weapons possession, law enforcement quickly tied him to the Triano case. In 2008, he was formally charged with Triano's murder.

Meanwhile, Phillips had fled the United States in 2008 following her indictment and was eventually located in Vienna, Austria. On December 3, 2009, she was arrested and extradited back to Arizona. While in custody, she initially was declared mentally unfit for trial in 2011, but following treatment and assessment, she was deemed competent in 2012.

Ronald Young stood trial first in 2010. Prosecutors presented recordings, maps, and financial evidence, including documentation that Phillips had agreed to pay him $400,000 for the killing. He was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.

Pamela Phillips’ trial began in February 2014. During the seven-week proceedings, prosecutors laid out the financial motives, communication between her and Young, and circumstantial evidence linking her to the planning of the crime. Though she maintained her innocence and insisted that Gary Triano’s death was part of a mob retaliation due to his gambling debts, the jury found her guilty on April 8, 2014. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and is currently serving her sentence at the Arizona State Prison Complex – Perryville.