Brother cut out of family estate tried to hire hitman to kill sister, PA officials say
A Pennsylvania man has pleaded guilty to trying to hire someone to kill his sister over a financial dispute, officials said.
Peter John Cute, 64, of Greensburg pleaded guilty Oct. 28 to criminal solicitation to commit homicide, according to a news release from Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli.
Cute’s attorney declined to comment to McClatchy News Oct. 30.
A witness told police about Cute’s murder-for-hire plot in April, according to officials.
Cute had asked the man “if he knew someone who would be willing to kill his relative,” Ziccarelli said in the release.
Investigators learned Cute’s family was in the process of removing him “from all properties and money” belonging to the family’s estates, according to officials.
Cute told the witness he planned to have his sister killed “to eliminate the problem,” Ziccarelli said.
An undercover detective met with Cute, who is accused of saying he wanted to pay to have his sister killed, according to officials.
He was arrested April 19 and held at the Westmoreland County Prison on a $250,000 bail, according to court records.
Cute will be sentenced within the next three months, officials said.
Greensburg is about a 35-mile drive southeast from Pittsburgh.
This story was originally published October 30, 2024 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Brother cut out of family estate tried to hire hitman to kill sister, PA officials say."
