Miami mother tried to hire a hitman to kill her 3-year-old son, police say
MIAMI - An 18-year-old Miami woman is accused of trying to hire a hitman to kill her 3-year-old son.
The woman appeared before a Miami-Dade County judge Wednesday following her arrest on charges of solicitation of murder and unlawful use of a communications device.
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The woman visited a parody hit-for-hire website — intended to assist law enforcement — in an attempt to have the boy "taken away, far, far, far away and possibly be killed but ASAP," Miami-Dade police said in a report. It said she was willing to pay $3,000.
The woman listed wanting "to get something done once and for all" as the reason for hiring a hitman, the report said.
Police said she provided an address where the boy lives with his grandmother, a recent photo of him and her phone number when she made contact with the website.
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A man who runs the website contacted Miami-Dade police and detectives tracked down the woman on Tuesday, using the IP address and phone number provided.
The Associated Press is not naming the woman, to protect the child’s identity.
Detectives spoke with the boy’s grandmother, who informed them that her daughter moved out in May. She said the boy still lived with her, and that his mother would FaceTime the child regularly.
The grandmother told detectives she took the photo of the boy, which was posted on the hitman website, on Monday and sent it to her daughter.
The child’s mother was arrested later Tuesday at her father’s house, where she had been staying. The arrest report states that she confessed, but the full statement was redacted when released to news organizations.
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The woman told Miami-Dade County Judge Mindy Glazer that she has never been treated for any type of mental health condition. The judge set bond at $15,000 and the woman was released from jail on Thursday.
The judge told the woman not to contact her son, who is continuing to stay with his grandmother.
The public defender’s office is representing the woman, and did not immediately respond to an email request for comment.