Video After The Jump
A Florida woman is accused of using some of her Covid-19 relief loan to hire a hit man to kill another woman.
The suspect, Jasmine Martinez, is in jail along with 2 other people, identified by police as Javon Carter & Romiel Robinson. They are all being held on charges related to the May 3 murder of Le’Shonte Jones & the attempted murder of Jones' 3-year-old daughter, who was injured.
Martinez is alleged to have concocted a plot to kill Jones, & Robinson is accused of enlisting Carter to carry out the slaying. In the days before the shooting, Martinez is alleged to have withdrawn about $10,000 from a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan she received. The warrant alleges that she used the money to pay Carter for the crime.
Martinez received the $15,000 loan — given to business owners struggling during the pandemic — for a single-employment beauty salon. It's not clear whether she actually owned the salon.
Investigators said Martinez knew the victim & had been arrested & charged in 2018 with getting into a physical altercation with Jones. Jones testified against Martinez in 2020.
After that court hearing, Jones reported that she was harassed, held at gunpoint & robbed by two men. One of the men was later identified as Martinez's ex-boyfriend, Kelly Nelson.
Nelson is in jail on charges related to the alleged robbery.
The warrant alleges that police investigating Jones' murder uncovered jail records of phone calls between Nelson & Martinez. Martinez is alleged to have told Nelson in a call on Feb. 11, 2021, that she was “ready to go kill” Jones & that Jones has to “die.”
The next day, Robinson, who was Martinez's new boyfriend, contacted Carter.
Jones reported in March that she was being harassed, was offered money not to testify against Nelson & was told that Martinez wanted Nelson home to help take care of their children. Jones testified against Nelson in April & also against Martinez for witness tampering.
Investigators alleged that shortly after her testimony, Robinson contacted Carter to get a price on the killing.
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Source: NBC News
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