A Maryland man who made plans to kill his wife and one of her friends was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison, the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office announced.
Daniel Mendoza, 52, of Rockville, was found guilty of one count of solicitation to commit first degree murder in February after his involvement in the murder-for-hire plot.
Montgomery County Police arrested Mendoza in March 2012 after they arranged an undercover investigation. Mendoza told an undercover officer how he wanted the killing to happen, showed him where his estranged wife lived and offered payment.
That payment? $200, plus the title of his vehicle, police said.
His wife had a protective order against Mendoza at the time because of an alleged threat to kill her.
Although the sentencing guidelines for this type of crime typically cover four to nine years in jail, the judge found that those guidelines fell short in this case.
"Today's sentence reflects the gravity of this crime," said State's Attorney John McCarthy in a press release. "Through excellent police work and vigorous prosecution, the Bench saw fit to sentence Mr. Mendoza to 30 years in prison."
