Florida man gets 15 years after trying to hire hit man to kill child he was allegedly molesting
BARTOW, Fla. (AP) - A Florida man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for trying to hire someone to kill three witnesses against him, including a child he was accused of molesting.
The Ledger reports 28-year-old Richard Palmer was sentenced this week after pleading no contest to charges as part of a deal with prosecutors. Prosecutors reduced a lewd molestation charge to attempted lewd molestation and dropped one of the two counts of solicitation to commit first-degree murder and one count of solicitation to commit arson.
Authorities say Palmer asked his cellmate at the Polk County Jail for help last year in finding someone to kill the girl who had accused him of molesting her when she was 11. He also wanted the girl's aunt and mother killed.
The cellmate notified law enforcement officers, who arranged an undercover detective to pose as the killer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.