In a shocking turn of events, a second individual has been apprehended in connection with a case involving a mother who, under the mistaken belief that she was engaging a genuine contract killer, allegedly sought to have her own child murdered. The mother, 18-year-old Jazmin Paez, was taken into custody in July on charges of soliciting her 3-year-old son’s murder.
Paez is reported to have visited a spoof website named “Rent-a-Hitman” and submitted a request for her son’s assassination. The site’s proprietor, Robert Innes, was taken aback by the detailed nature of the request, which seemed to be genuine, and promptly alerted the Miami, Florida police.
Earlier this week, Miami-Dade law enforcement officials arrested 18-year-old Gamaliel Soza in relation to the alleged conspiracy. A review of an arrest affidavit by Law&Crime revealed that a search of Paez’s mobile phone had uncovered conversations between the two teenagers. In these exchanges, Soza seemed to suggest that Paez’s child was the only obstacle standing in their way.
According to the affidavit, Soza is quoted as saying, “The kid is the problem, I hope you see that,” and “All I ever wanted, was to free you, I told you about the kid, you won’t do anything.” He also allegedly told Paez, “You do it, and I’ll think about coming back.”
The affidavit suggests that Paez attempted to assure Soza that she had acted on his apparent wishes. It states, “Ms. Jazmin Paez stated that she took her son to the woods and left him there to be eaten by bears or drown in the water.” Soza allegedly responded by asking for photographic evidence.
Soza, like Paez, now faces charges of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder and unlawful use of a communications device. Following a post-Miranda interview with the police, Soza confessed, as per the affidavit. He was granted a $15,000 bond and ordered to avoid contact with the child or anyone under 18, as reported by South Florida NBC affiliate WTVJ. Paez had previously been granted the same bond and was also instructed to stay away from her son.