Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | John Peck | | Judge(s): | John Blahovec |
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #15165 Rating: 2.7 out of 5
Attempt to have two horses killed
Scottdale, PA (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Nov 13, 2008
County: Westmoreland
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Joseph J. Mendicino
A Scottdale man will spend up to a year in jail for trying to hire a hitman to kill his estranged wife's two horses.
Joseph J. Mendicino pleaded guilty Friday to charges that he took out a contract on his estranged wife's horses and tried to have her run off the road for testifying against him during a hearing in November. The hit was arranged from Westmoreland County Prison, where Mendicino was an inmate.
Mendicino, 27, was sentenced yesterday to a jail term of six to 12 months and three years of probation by Judge John Blahovec. He was ordered to have no contact with his wife, Erika Mendicino.
Joseph Mendicino pleaded guilty to charges of retaliation against a witness, one count of solicitation to intimidate a witnesses, and attempting to solicit the killing or maiming of a domestic animal.
"It would certainly be intimidating to find an animal you cared for dead. The clear intent is that you're going to be next," said Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck. "You can't have people in jail threatening people."
According to court records, Mendicino was serving a six-month sentence for violating a protection from abuse order that prohibited him from having contact with his wife.
Mendicino first contacted another inmate about the possibility of harming his wife's new boyfriend and killing her horses. The inmate notified county detectives, who set up a sting operation.
Detective Terry Kuhns posed as a horse hitman and arranged the contract with Mendicino.
The first contact, via telephone from the jail, was on Nov. 13, a few days before Mendicino was scheduled for a court appearance to seek an early release from jail.
"The defendant stated that his ex-wife has three horses, but he only wanted me to put two in the 'glue factory,'" Kuhns said in court documents.
Erika Mendicino testified against her husband at the hearing on Nov. 18, when he was denied early release.
A day later, Joseph Mendicino telephoned Kuhns and offered him $1,000 to have the horses killed. He put up another $500 for Kuhns to run Erika Mendicino off the road.
"We said he would collect when he was released from jail in March 2009," Kuhns said. References« PA State Animal Cruelty Map
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