The Tampa criminal lawyers at Musca Law came across an unusual bit of information in the local news recently. A man was arrested in the Tampa area after trying to hire a hit man to kill his wife. The price for murder? About two thousand dollars and some free pizza.
Law enforcement officials investigating the crime have arrested Edward Graziano on suspicion of plotting his wife's murder. They say that Graziano paid a police officer posing as a hit man about $2,100 in cash and a personal check - and he also gave the undercover officer a pizza gift card worth $13.06. Police say Graziano gave the "hit man" information about her whereabouts. He hoped she would be killed in a car crash that appeared to be an accident, while he would be safely at another location and could appear blameless. Tampa criminal attorneys say that while this kind of allegation may be found in many fictional crime books, it is an unusual real-life scenario.
The couple was planning on a divorce, although neither had filed yet. Investigators believe that Graziano sought to kill his wife to avoid troublesome financial issues associated with the divorce. Graziano is being held in the local jail without bond. He was already on probation for an incident involving battery on a law enforcement officer. Fortunately, no one was hurt as a result of the apparent murder-for-hire scheme.
The Graziano family is well-known due to their rocky relationship with Hulk Hogan's family, the Bolleas. Nick Bollea, the son of Hulk Hogan, was the driver in a dangerous car accident in 2007 as a result of highway racing in Clearwater. The accident left the Graziano's son John permanently injured. His guardian is seeking civil damages from the Bollea family and attorneys familiar with the proceedings have speculated that Ed Graziano believed he would receive a larger cut of the damages from the Bollea family if his wife was no longer in the picture.
The original article from the Tampa Tribune. Murder For Hire Plot
John Graziano's half-brother has spoken out angrily about the accident and his military
service.
