WILMINGTON, Del. – A Wilmington man was arrested today on charges of devising a plot to engage in interstate murder-for-hire. According to court documents, Javier A. Rodriguez, age 47, hired a hitman to murder his ex-wife. Over the course of the investigation, Rodriguez made a down payment of $5,000 to another individual to pay for the hitman. Rodriguez also agreed to pay an additional $5,000 once the murder was completed.
Rodriguez is charged by criminal complaint with a violation of the federal murder-for-hire statute and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison if convicted. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Rodriguez appeared in federal court this afternoon before the Honorable Mary Pat Thynge, Chief Magistrate Judge for the District of Delaware. Based on the Government’s motion, Rodriguez will be detained pending an additional hearing on the matter currently scheduled for March 31, 2022.
David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware made the announcement. The case was investigated by the FBI Safe Streets Violent Crime Taskforce, which is a partnership of law enforcement officers from the FBI, Wilmington Police Department, Delaware State Police, Delaware Probation and Parole, and New Castle County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander P. Ibrahim and Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER.
A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.