BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – A South Florida man was arrested Thursday after he tried to hire a hitman to kill his ex-wife, offering $10,000 for the job, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
Recommended Videos
Authorities said Michael David Pine, 55, of Boynton Beach, was taken into custody by BSO deputies following an undercover operation involving the agency’s strategic investigations division, the threat management Unit, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
According to investigators, while serving time in a Florida prison for aggravated stalking and other charges, Pine expressed a desire to have his ex-wife murdered.
After his release from the South Florida Reception Center in Doral on Feb. 25, BSO said they launched an undercover sting.
During multiple conversations, Pine told an undercover detective he blamed his ex-wife for his incarceration and offered to pay $10,000 for her murder, according to investigators.
They said Pine handed over $2,000 as a down payment on Wednesday while in Deerfield Beach. The next day, when detectives told Pine the killing had taken place, he agreed to pay the remaining $8,000, according to deputies.
Authorities said Pine was arrested on charges of attempted premeditated murder and criminal attempt to solicit a capital felony.
They said he later admitted to the plot and was booked into the Broward County Main Jail.
Jail records show he is being held without bond as of Friday.
