COLLINSVILLE, Ill., Dec. 23 (UPI) -- An Illinois woman faces federal charges of contracting for the murder of her 3-year-old son's father, officials said.
Christina Lynn Keck, 31, of Collinsville allegedly paid undercover FBI Special Agent Daniel Cook $600 to kill her ex-boyfriend in Texas, where he lives with the son, the Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat reported Thursday.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Wilkerson ordered Keck's detainment earlier this week.
A cooperating witness contacted the FBI, saying Keck had asked him to find someone to kill the child's father, the complaint against Keck said.
An affidavit filed by Cook said the parents were involved in a custody dispute.
Keck provided Cook with information about the child's father, including directions to his house and business, and showed him the man's Facebook pictures, the News-Democrat reported.
The affidavit read, "When asked if she wanted the murder done in the presence of her 3-year-old son, Keck replied, 'Preferably not in my son's presence, so as not to traumatize him".
Cook said Keck told him, "I'll deal with my son".
"I want him gone," Cook said the woman told him.
A preliminary and detention hearing is scheduled for Dec. 27 in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis.
If convicted, Keck faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. UPI
