Murder for hire — NJ man paid to have ex-wife, child killed

A Middlesex County man has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for plotting to hire a "hitman" to kill his ex-wife and her daughter.

Michael Stewart, 69, of Monroe Township, previously pleaded guilty and was delivered his prison sentence on Tuesday in Newark federal court.

According to officials, Stewart asked a source in the summer of 2021 to find him someone to kill his ex-wife and her daughter. In October 2021, he met with an undercover agent — thinking it was a hitman — and told the agent he'd pay for the killings.

Stewart specifically asked for the daughter to be killed first, and then his ex-wife, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. He provided the purported hitman with names and addresses, and information related to where the targets live and the cars they drive.

Stewart provided the undercover agent $500 as a partial payment, according to officials. He also showed the agent a photo of his ex-wife.

In addition to 97 months behind bars, Stewart has been sentenced to three years of supervised release.

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

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Filed Under: Middlesex County