A Newton NJ man who tried to hire a hitman to murder a Paterson New Jersey woman has been sentenced to more than a decade behind bars.
The suspect, a 36-year-old male from Newton, New Jersey, met the victim on the Internet through an online dating website. After just two dates with the victim, the suspect reportedly became obsessed with her.
At some point, the suspect allegedly spoke with a friend and said that he wanted to hire a hitman to kidnap the victim and then kill her. The suspect s friend notified authorities, which then sent an undercover agent to meet the suspect and pose as a hitman.
Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested the suspect in January 2016. The suspect was charged with attempted kidnapping and murder-for-hire. He faced federal charges, not state charges, because he used the Internet while planning the homicide.
Now the suspect is on his way to federal prison. He recently made an appearance in US District Court in Newark NJ for a formal sentencing hearing. The federal judge listened to the suspect s apology and then signed off on the plea deal and sentenced the suspect to 17 years behind bars.
When sentencing the suspect, the judge noted that the suspect has a prior criminal record. He reportedly lied when providing an alibi for Melanie McGuire, a woman previously convicted of brutally murdering her husband. Additionally, the suspect previously assaulted a woman with a pool cue at a bar.
To learn more about this case, read the NJ.com article, “Man Gets Jail for Trying to Hire Hitman to Kill Online Crush.”
