A Connecticut man has been arrested after he allegedly asked an Uber driver to find him a “hitman” to kill a woman who was going to testify against him in court.
The Uber driver, however, went to police, and an undercover sergeant posed as the potential hitman, CTInsider reported.
The sergeant spoke with Leonard Thuo Mwithiga for more than an hour Monday night to complete the details of the hit. Mwithiga was arrested after the meeting and charged with criminal attempt at murder with special circumstances, conspiracy to commit murder, and criminal attempt at intimidation of a witness.
Connecticut state police said the woman, a family member, was to testify in a civil case involving Mwithiga and that “the execution of this murder-for-hire plot would render the victim unable to testify in such proceeding.”
Mwithiga traveled back and forth between his native Kenya and the United States several times between September 9 and December 1 and asked several times about arranging for a hitman.
The report said that Mwithiga specifically said he wanted someone to “put that woman down,” WVIT reported. Another time, he said he wanted someone to “finish her.” And on December 1, Mwithiga reportedly suggested injected the victim with something that would make her sick, “like a cancer.”
He told the undercover officer the death should take place between January 28, 2024, and February 3, 2024, because he would be in Kenya and not be a suspect.
According to the report, the Uber driver began recording his conversations with Mwithiga and provided police with three audio recordings and one video recording of the conversations, CTInsider said. In one, he told the informant that he was “very, very mad, I neeed someone who is a killer.” He gave the driver $100 for his trouble.
During Monday’s meeting with the undercover officer, Mwithiga gave him $300with a promise of $4,000 when the death was confirmed. After meeting with officer, he sent a photo of a victim.
Mwithiga was given a $5 million bail. He was also ordered to surrender all firearms, and the judge put in place a full no-contact order for victims and cooperating witnesses, WVIT reported.
The judge noted that minor children were involved in the order, which bars Mwithiga from approaching within 2,500 feet of protected persons.
If he posts bond, Mwithiga must surrender his passport and cannot leave Connecticut. He would wear a GPS monitor.
His next court date is January 26.
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[Featured image: Leonard Thuo Mwithiga/Connecticut State Police]
