Man Accused of Plotting Ex-Girlfriend’s Death

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A 62-year-old Austin man has been charged with soliciting capital murder after police said he tried to hire an ex-Marine acquaintance to kill his ex-girlfriend for dating a black man.

An arrest affidavit says Keith James Cote offered the man $10,000 to kill the woman and an extra $15,000 of he could "watch him put a bullet in her head."

The would-be hit man informed police of the offer and played along with Cote for investigators.

Cote was arrested Monday and booked into in the Travis County Jail with bond set at $1 million. If convicted of the first-degree felony, he could be sentenced to life imprisonment.

The ex-girlfriend told investigators that Cote had abused her during their relationship of several years but hadn't seen him since 2015.