Legal/Law/Criminal Justice and Reform

Illegal Immigrant Mom Accused Of Hiring Hitman To Kill Witnesses To Protect Murderer Son

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Police arrested an illegal immigrant mother of a boy sentenced to prison for attempting to hire a hitman to kill cooperating witnesses in her son’s case, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

Josefina Cardona-Cardona was arrested on Monday after allegedly agreeing to pay an undercover agent to kill two witnesses who were testifying in her son’s 2022 fatal stabbing case, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office announced. She now faces two counts of solicitation to commit murder and will be subject to deportation following the completion of her prosecution.

Cardona-Cardona is the mother of Manuel Marcos Cardona, who was recently sentenced to 15 years in prison for a stabbing death at a birthday party in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, according to local reports.

Marcos Cardona was at a 5-year-old’s birthday party on June 22, 2022 when a fight broke out, according to the arrest report. The victim stepped in to break the fight up, but was then stabbed five times and died the following day at a local hospital.

We have arrested a mother for attempting to solicit someone to murder two cooperating witnesses in her son’s case. In April, we learned that the mother of Manuel Marcos Cardona was planning a heinous act. Our detectives, along with undercover agents, conducted a thorough… pic.twitter.com/eXZXjX9Y9T

— PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 7, 2024

Marcos Cardona was 14 years old at the time of the crime, but was charged as an adult. He was handed a 15-year prison sentence following a plea deal.

“In April, we learned that the mother of Manuel Marcos Cardona was planning a heinous act,” the sheriff’s office said in a Tuesday statement. “Our detectives, along with undercover agents, conducted a thorough investigation, during which the defendant, Josefina Cardona-Cardona, agreed to pay an undercover agent to carry out the crime.”

She is currently being held in a Palm Beach County detention center and is detained on a $550,000 bond, according to inmate records.

Local authorities noted Cardona-Cardona is living in the country unlawfully and her arrest record confirms she is subject to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold, meaning she will be transferred to federal immigration authorities following her prosecution.