A mother was arrested this week in Florida after she was accused of attempting to hire a hit man to murder witnesses in her son's criminal case, deputies said.
On Tuesday, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of Josefina Cardona-Cardona, the mother of Manuel Marcos Cardona, who was arrested in 2022 for fatally stabbing a man.
"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," the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
"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. Now, she faces two counts of Solicitation to Commit Murder and will be subject to deportation following the completion of her prosecution," the post added. PBSO confirmed to Newsweek via phone that she is in the state illegally.
The arrest this week comes several months after the mother's son was arrested in 2022. According to WPTV-TV in Palm Beach, Florida, Manuel Marcos Cardona was arrested for the fatal stabbing of a 19-year-old man at a birthday party. Cardona was 14 years old at the time of the crime but was later charged as an adult when he turned 15 in 2022.
WPTV-TV reported that on June 18, 2022, an altercation broke out at a 5-year-old's birthday party in Palm Beach County. During the altercation, one individual stepped in to break it up but was quickly surrounded by several others attending the party.
While attempting to break up the altercation, the individual was stabbed several times by Cardona. Cardona's parents also got involved, beating the victim, WPTV-TV reported. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital shortly after but was pronounced deceased the next day.
Shortly after the fatal stabbing, Cardona and his family attempted to flee Florida, but they were later stopped by Brevard County Sheriff's Office deputies, WPTV-TV reported. In February 2024, Cardona pled guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, WPTV-TV reported.
The most recent arrest of Cardona's mother stemmed from an investigation by Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office officials after she met with undercover officers several times in an attempt to have two witnesses in her son's case murdered, WPTV-TV reported.
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Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
