JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 70-year-old Middleburg woman has been arrested after Jacksonville police said she solicited an undercover detective to kill her daughter-in-law for $5,000.
Diana Costarakis is charged with criminal solicitation and criminal conspiracy, both capital felony crimes.
On Wednesday, an undercover detective met with Costarakis at the Home Depot store on Crosshill Boulevard on the Westside, police said. They said Costarakis solicited the undercover detective to kill her daughter-in-law, Angela Costarakis, (pictured, below), and she gave the detective $500 as the first payment, as well as a photograph of her daughter-in-law, her address and vehicle description.
On Thursday, the undercover detective met with Diana Costarakis again and she paid an additional $1,000 toward the $5,000 that was negotiated, police said. They said Costarakis told the detective that her daughter-in-law wore expensive jewelry, and when the job was done, he could take the jewelry off the victim's body.
Costarakis said the diamonds could be removed and sold without a trace, and that money could be used toward the final payment, according to police.
When asked if Costarakis wanted her daughter-in-law dead, she said, "If you don't, I will," according to police.
According to the police report, Costarakis told police her daughter-in-law was a drunk and a bad mother to her 6-year-old granddaughter.
Costarakis was arrested and transported to be questioned. Police said she immediately asked for an attorney after being Mirandized.
Angela Costarakis said she has no idea why her mother-in-law would be so angry with her.
"I am not livid. I am beyond sad and it breaks my heart because it messes up the family," Angela Costarakis said Friday. "I have compassion. I don't want to see anyone spend the rest of their life in jail. However, I am still just dealing with it. I just found out. I have not wrapped my head around it."
The report said Diana Costarakis claimed Angela was getting a divorce from her son and moving to Denver with her granddaughter. Angela said that's not true.
Diana Costarakis was being held in the Duval County jail without bail.