WOMAN ACCUSED OF ORDERING HER HUSBAND’S KILLING PAID RD$4 MILLION TO HIRE HITMAN!

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic  – A case that seems straight out of a crime thriller has shocked the Dominican public. A woman has been  formally charged as the mastermind behind her husband’s murder , after it was revealed that she allegedly paid RD  $4 million  to hire a hitman to kill the man with whom she had shared her life for over 15 years.

The woman, identified as  Lucía del Carmen Rivas , 42, was arrested this week by agents of the Central Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DICRIM), after an intense investigation that uncovered a network of messages, bank transfers and testimonies that directly link her to the crime.

The murder occurred on February 12 in the Los Prados neighborhood, where the victim,  45-year-old José Antonio Gutiérrez , was intercepted as he left his home. He was shot multiple times and died instantly. At the time, it was believed to be an attempted robbery, but  the evidence pointed to something much more sinister.

According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the accused planned the crime for months and  allegedly used a younger lover to contact the hitmen , to whom she offered the million-dollar payment as a guarantee of “a clean job without any traces”.

Authorities detailed that  RD$1 million was paid upfront , and the remainder would be distributed once “the job was done.” The money was traced through deposits made in several bank accounts linked to the alleged perpetrators, who have already been arrested and confessed to their involvement.

Prosecutors say the motive for the crime was  a combination of financial ambition and an extramarital affair . José Antonio owned a transportation company and had several properties in his name. Lucía allegedly planned everything to inherit a large part of his wealth.

Reactions and shock

The news sparked outrage in the community and on social media, where many expressed horror at the cold-bloodedness of the act. “Four million to kill the father of your children! What kind of person does that?” one user wrote on Twitter. Others demanded that the full force of the law be applied, and that this case serve as an example to combat contract killings in the country.

Relatives of the deceased demanded justice and asserted that  they never suspected anything about Lucía , whom they described as a “quiet and reserved” woman. However, they now believe it was all a facade. “She deceived us all. We never thought she was capable of so much.”

Legal measures

The judge of the Permanent Attention Office ordered  12 months of pretrial detention  as a coercive measure while the investigation phase is completed. The woman will be transferred to the Najayo Women’s Correction and Rehabilitation Center while prosecutors prepare the case to request  the maximum sentence for contract killing .

This crime once again highlights how easily, according to experts, hitmen can be hired in the country, and the urgent need to strengthen financial controls and criminal intelligence.

The case is still developing, but one thing is clear:  betrayal, ambition, and premeditated crime have destroyed a family and shaken an entire nation.