A Washington state father was arrested for allegedly attempting to hire someone to kill his wife and daughter.
Jeffery Lytle, 42, allegedly intended to send a text message to a hitman named “Shayne” for help in killing his wife and daughter, but instead texted his former boss, KIRO reported.
“Hey Shayne hows it going. You remember you said that you would help me kill my wife. I’m going to take you up on that offer,” the Monroe resident allegedly wrote the person.
Lytle promised to share his wife and daughter’s $1.5 million life insurance policy with Shayne, according to court documents.
Lytle allegedly told Shayne once his wife got home from work that he wanted to make the murders look like an accident or “a robbery gone wrong,” WPIX reported.
The unintended recipient of the message notified police, who arrested Lytle at his home Wednesday.
Lytle allegedly told investigators that he was sending those text messages to “vent” without any intention of killing his wife and daughter. He also said that his four-year-old daughter must have sent the text message.
He was booked into Snohomish County Jail on $1,000,000 bond for two counts of criminal solicitation charges.
Detectives have applied for a warrant to search Lytle’s phone and residence for documents containing the family’s life insurance plans, the New York Daily News reported.