Murder Suspect for Hire Accidentally Released for Terrorizing Ex

Published on: August 9, 2023 at 03:38.

Last updated on August 9, 2023 at 03:58.

A Newark, NJ man was arrested at Wind Creek Bethlehem Casino in February 2021 for allegedly hiring a hitman to kill his ex-girlfriend, and his brother was accidentally released from Pennsylvania prison six months later.

Dominic Escalera, Wind Creek Bethlehem
Dominic Escalera, above, was arrested in Wind Creek Bethlehem in February 2021 as a suspect in a murder-for-hire plot. A hitman believed he was making an alibi when he killed his ex and his brother. (Image: Essex County Penitentiary)

That’s according to a gross negligence lawsuit filed by Dominic Escalera’s (39) ex-girlfriend for allegedly assaulting and terrorizing her at her Allentown, Pennsylvania home during her unexpected freedom struggle.

Escalera was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2021 on charges of recruiting two hitmen and possession of a firearm as a culprit.

Prosecutors allege that Escalera agreed to pay a person in cash and illegal drugs for the murders and supplied him with weapons. According to prosecutors, the man then traveled to Wind Creek Bethlehem to make an alibi when he believed the attack had taken place.

But the “hitman” turned out to be an undercover Pennsylvania State trooper, and Escalera was arrested at the casino.

Horrible Attack

Escalera faces up to 30 years in prison for the charges. According to court filings, on August 18, 2021, a federal judge denied his bail release, finding that he was at risk of absconding and posing a danger to society. He was ordered to remain in custody at Lehigh County Penitentiary throughout the pretrial proceedings.

But inexplicably, he was released two days later and went straight to his ex-girlfriend’s house.

According to the lawsuit, when she found him standing in his kitchen, she told him chillingly, “I told you I was going out.”

According to the lawsuit, Escalera continued to attack the plaintiff for the next two hours and threatened to kill him and his family.

Fortunately, he was able to send secret texts warning the authorities of his predicament, which led to Escalera’s re-arrest.

‘Worst nightmare’

The victim’s case includes Lehigh County prison warden Kyle Russell and the county’s penitentiary director, Janine Donate. Plaintiff alleges that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder due to his distress and lived in fear that Escalera would reappear in his home and try to kill him.

The plaintiff’s attorney, Josh Karoly, said this is literally any victim’s worst nightmare. Washington post. “The crime this gentleman is accused of committing is the worst crime that can be set free for the woman who was the target of the alleged conspiracy.

“It’s heroic that he was able to deal with the situation and get him back in custody, but he should never have been in that position in the first place,” he added.

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