Woman accused of plotting murder of daughter's ex-boyfriend
A New York woman is facing charges of trying to hire a hit man to kill her daughter's ex-boyfriend and feed his body to alligators due to a conflict about a child they have.
Police arrested Melisa Schonfield, 57, who lives in the small upstate town of Brownville, on Friday on charges of second-degree conspiracy and second-degree criminal solicitationt.
Schonfield is suspected of meeting with an undercover detective posing as a hit man and conspiring to kill a Florida man, identified later as Ernesto Negrillo, the 36-year-old ex-boyfriend of her daughter Alexis.
"I don't know why she would want to kill me. I haven't spoken to her in a long time," Negrillo told Huffington Post.
Melisa Schonfield (L), pictured with husband Robert Schonfield (C) and daughter Alexis (R) has been accused of plotting the murder of Ernesto Negrillo (above), her daughter's ex-boyfriend. Photos: Facebook
Negrillo said his relationship with Alexis ended in November 2012. He stayed in Florida while Alexis left for New York with their 4 month old son to live with her parents.
He said he had no problems with anybody in the family. "I wasn’t fighting for custody", he said. "It was already settled."
Schonfield is accused of giving the detective US$5,500 (S$7,110) in cash, half of the total amount for the killing, in a Wal-Mart parking lot.
When the detective asked how to dispose of the body, Schonfield suggested throwing it to alligators, the television station reported.
Alexis Schonfield, 31, told Huffington Post that she was shocked upon hearing the news of her mother's arrest.
"The only thing I can say, because I am a mother, is she was trying to protect my son and she got tired of watching me cry," Alexis said. "I've been an emotional basket case the past two years."
Sources: Reuters, Huffington Post, Daily Mail
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