An Indian American woman, whose husband was arrested for conspiring to murder her, still continues to support him.
Santosh Paul, a resident of a New York City suburb, was arrested last week for allegedly hiring a hitman and offering $200,000 to kill his wife Tina, the News Day newspaper reported. The hitman, however, turned out to be an undercover police agent.
"Tina is backing him up 100 per cent," Bejoy Samuel, a close friend of the couple said.
Santosh appeared in court Friday, where his bail request was rejected. The case was adjourned till Jan 9.
Samuel said the Pauls have a strong, six-year marriage and are role models in their church. "A lot of people look up to them as a couple and as church leaders," he said.
Assistant District Attorney Anne Donnelly said Tina would change her mind once she saw hours of video of her husband working out details of the plot and doling out $2,500 as an initial amount for the job. Donnelly said she's been trying to contact Tina Paul so that she can view the evidence.
Police claim to have found an insurance policy for $1 million in Tina's name with Santhosh as the sole beneficiary, which could be a very strong reason for him trying to kill Tina.
If convicted Santhosh can face up to 25 years in prison.