Cook Stews in Prison for Murder Plot
Posted on Dec 16, 2010 3:50pm PST
Juan-Carlos Cruz, cookbook author and former host of the "Calorie Commando" show on the Food Network, was sentenced to nine years in a California state prison for soliciting two homeless men to kill his wife, as reported by CNN.
Cruz's wife, Jennifer Campbell, sat in the courtroom when he pleaded no contest.
It is alleged that long-standing fertility issues ruptured the couple's marriage and caused Cruz to offer two homeless men $500 to murder his wife.
Shiara Davila-Morales, of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, reported that a sting operation had been set up and videotaped. During the meeting Cruz drove one of the men over to his apartment building to demonstrate how to break in.
Cruz has been ordered by Superior Court Judge H. Chester Horn Jr. to pay $1,870 in restitution. He has also been ordered to serve a minimum of four and one half years before he can be considered for parole. No victim impact statement has been ordered.
In his plea agreement, one count of attempted murder was dropped.
Two people that are close to the couple, and wish to remain anonymous, claim that the Cruz's spent twenty years undergoing expensive fertility treatment that overwhelmed them.
Furthermore, the unsuccessful treatments left Campbell "very depressed and talked about suicide." One source believes that Campbell had an inner struggle with committing suicide, as she was a devout Roman Catholic, that she couldn't bring herself to follow through on. The other source reiterated this thought and said that failing to conceive a child was a "pretty overwhelming thing in their lives."
One source, closer to Campbell, claimed that she still loves her husband, whether or not she was aware of the alleged murder for hire. The other source, closer to Cruz, claimed that he was "nothing but a loving and devoted husband."
The two homeless men Cruz tried to hire have been identified as David Carrington and David Walters. Sgt. Jay Trisler said that the plan was aborted as one of the men chose to alert the Santa Monica police.
The two men, known as Big Dave and Little Dave, were given a hotel room, pizzas, beer and a bottle of San Jose Tequila. Big Dave, talking about the police, said, "I love them."
Trisler stated, "We're very fortunate that we have a relationship and rapport with some of the homeless and that they were able to give us information."
The police investigation of Cruz began on May 7 and he was arrested one month later.
Cruz enjoyed some fame as a pastry chef battling weight until he changed his diet and began promoting less caloric recipes. He wrote a book in 2007 entitled, "The Juan-Carlos Cruz Calorie Countdown Cookbook: A 5-Week Eating Strategy for Sustainable Weight Loss."
The Food Network, in issuing a statement regarding Cruz's past employment, said that Cruz "has not been under contract or associated with Food Network for a number of years."
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