North Jersey man accused of paying neighbor to have hitman kill woman, affidavit states

A North Bergen man arrested last week allegedly asked his neighbor to kill his girlfriend after she tried to break off their relationship, according to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by NorthJersey.com.

The neighbor, whose name was redacted from the affidavit, told North Bergen Police that Miguel Cortes, 37, had been talking to him for months about killing his girlfriend. He told the neighbor he wanted her killed before May 16, the scheduled court date for a harassment complaint she filed against him.

Cortes' girlfriend, who was also not publicly identified in the affidavit, told police the day after his arrest that she attempted to end their relationship in March, 13 months after they met. He reacted by sending her a string of threatening messages, including, "Prepare yourself for what's going to happen to you now b—," "You're going to pay" and "You played with the devil."

The week before his arrest, Cortes handed the neighbor an envelope with a first installment payment of approximately $3,000 for the killing, the affidavit stated. The envelope also contained a list of information about Cortes' girlfriend, including her photo, her address, where she worked and her daily work hours.

The neighbor told Cortes he knew someone who would commit the murder, and the two agreed it would take place at the gas station where the intended victim worked. Cortes suggested various ways to kill her, including running her over with a car after finishing her shift, according to the affidavit.

The neighbor called Cortes at police headquarters to discuss the murder plan while investigators listened in. During the call, Cortes asked what time the hired killer would make it to his girlfriend's job so he could go to a casino with cameras to establish an alibi.

In a follow-up call, the neighbor told Cortes his girlfriend was not at work, the affidavit stated. He then offered to send the hitman to her house and "take her out there," to which Cortes replied, "Whatever works."

The woman ultimately was not harmed, and Cortes was arrested May 14. He was taken to the Hudson County Correctional Facility and charged with first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office stated.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ man accused of trying to have hitman kill girlfriend