Two women are in custody facing charges related to a murder-for-hire scheme in Montgomery County, Maryland.
According to charging documents acquired by WTOP, a woman from Germantown allegedly attempted to hire someone to kill her ex-boyfriend in May.
Adelaida Zacarias-Chacon, 53, told Montgomery County police that her ex-boyfriend, Marvin Perez Rivera, left her for another woman. She referred to him as her “ex-husband,” though they were never legally married.
Zacarias-Chacon confided in her former sister-in-law, Reyna Gomez Lopez, 40, who suggested that Perez Rivera should be killed for leaving her. Zacarias-Chacon then paid Gomez Lopez $1,000 to arrange for two hitmen from Philadelphia, where Gomez Lopez resided. The plan was for the hitmen to contact Perez Rivera under the guise of a landscaping job, then meet and kill him.
When Gomez Lopez requested an additional $2,000 to finalize the job, Zacarias-Chacon suspected a scam, leading to an argument between the women.
In June, Zacarias-Chacon disclosed the plan to a case worker at the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Family Justice Center, who then notified detectives. During the investigation, detectives searched Zacarias-Chacon’s cellphone and found text messages between the women detailing the plot, including instructions for the hitmen to ensure Perez Rivera “never walked again” and to wear masks.
Bank records also showed Zacarias-Chacon had deposited $1,000 in cash into Gomez Lopez’s account.
Both women have been arrested. Zacarias-Chacon is charged with first-degree conspiracy and solicitation to commit murder, and is being held awaiting a bond hearing. Gomez Lopez is also charged with first-degree conspiracy to commit murder and is awaiting extradition to Montgomery County.
