Feb. 27--A man already serving 25 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl was convicted Thursday of trying to hire someone to kill one of the prosecutors in charge of his case, according to prosecutors and court records.
Edward Carreon, 31, formerly of Chicago, was convicted by Cook County Bridgeview Court Judge Joan O'Brien of solicitation of murder for hire, according to a release from the state's attorney's office and court records. O'Brien said the plot to kill a female prosecutor who had handled Carreon's sex assault case was "chilling," according to the release.
Carreon was awaiting sentencing in the 2011 predatory sex assault of the girl when investigators learned he had spoken with another Cook County Jail inmate about hiring someone to kill the assistant state's attorney, prosecutors said. Carreon had assaulted the girl numerous times and had tried to convince her after she turned 13 that they were having a consensual relationship, according to prosecutors.
In February 2013, while in jail, Carreon called someone he thought could murder the prosecutor but who was actually an undercover officer, prosecutors said. The undercover officer met with Carreon at the jail soon after, and Carreon told the officer he would pay $25,000 for the hit.
After the meeting, Carreon sent a letter to the officer with a description of the prosecutor and details of when and where he was scheduled to be sentenced in the sex assault case, prosecutors said.
Carreon said in the letter that "two to the head is what I want" to kill the prosecutor, according to the release.
The officer and Carreon met again Feb. 21, 2013, and Carreon identified the prosecutor in a photograph, then made final arrangements for the officer to kill the prosecutor for $25,000, prosecutors said.
He was charged with solicitation of murder-for-hire.
"While this was an extremely alarming threat to the safety of one of my assistant state's attorneys, we also consider it a threat to the integrity of our entire criminal justice system, so we are extremely grateful for this verdict," Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said in a statement in the release.
The next court hearing in the murder-for-hire case is scheduled for March 30, according to court records. Carreon, who formerly lived in the 4300 block of South Campbell Avenue, faces up to 40 years in prison on the murder-for-hire charge.
