Background: The Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Eagleville, Pennsylvania (Montgomery County, Penn., official website)/YouTube). Inset: Eric Berkowitz (Montgomery County District Attorney”s Office).
A man in Pennsylvania has been charged with attempting to hire a hitman to murder his ex-girlfriend and two of her subsequent partners.
Eric Berkowitz, aged 41, is facing multiple charges, including three counts each of criminal solicitation to commit murder, attempted murder, and reckless endangerment, as revealed by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday. The full announcement can be found here.
Authorities state that on Tuesday, Berkowitz approached an individual and proposed a $5,000 payment for the murder of three individuals residing in New York. He reportedly provided the names and addresses of these people and handed over a Mac 11—a firearm often identified as a fully-automatic machine pistol—for the task.
The individual, identified by officials as Steven Luker, was also given a disposable phone by Berkowitz for communication purposes. The plan was for them to travel to New York the following day and convene near the residence of one of the intended targets. The targets included Berkowitz’s ex-girlfriend and two men she dated after their seven-year relationship ended.
Luker, however, decided to report the plot to the Upper Dublin Township Police Department. With the cooperation of authorities, he recorded a conversation with Berkowitz, during which Berkowitz allegedly reiterated the plan to go to New York and meet near one of the victim’s homes.
In the recorded conversation, Berkowitz allegedly stated his intention to personally deal with his ex-girlfriend.
The following day, as the suspect exited his home in Upper Dublin and got into an Uber, police stopped the vehicle and arrested him. Authorities said he was carrying “a duffel bag containing a black Masterpiece Arms Grim Reaper firearm with a loaded magazine containing 23 9 mm rounds of ammunition, cocaine and a large sum of cash.”
When officers interviewed the Uber driver, he reportedly informed them the suspect’s destination was a home in Endicott, New York, about a 175-mile drive north. When investigators learned the address, they discovered it was where Berkowitz’s former girlfriend resided.
“I’d like to commend Mr. Luker for immediately contacting police after he was approached by the defendant to participate in this murder scheme,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele. “He ultimately saved the lives of three innocent people.”
A judge denied Berkowitz bail during his arraignment, and he was booked into the Montgomery County Correctional Facility. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 20.
