Three indicted in two murder-for-hire plots

By Amanda Stewart

Published: August 12, 2008

A Prince William Circuit Court grand jury last week indicted three people on charges stemming from two separate murder-for-hire plots.

The grand jury indicted Carlos Alberto Meyer, 33, of 11718 Collingwood Court in Woodbridge, on charges of attempted murder for hire and criminal solicitation for murder for hire.

Meyer is accused of hiring an undercover detective to murder his 36-year-old wife.

Police received a tip that Meyer was planning to hire someone to kill his wife and then set up an undercover operation, police said at the time.

Meyer met with the undercover detective on June 24 and was arrested after making arrangements for how much he would pay and how he wanted his wife killed, police said.

Meyer is set to stand trial on Dec. 8.

April Blasini, 36, of 10332 Abbott Road in Manassas, and Thomas Roy Bennett, 19, of 9709 Clark Place in Manassas, were both indicted on charges stemming from an unrelated murder-for-hire plot in Manassas.

Blasini is charged with aggravated malicious wounding, conspiracy to commit murder for hire and criminal solicitation for murder for hire.

Bennett is charged with aggravated malicious wounding, wearing a mask in public and criminal solicitation for murder for hire.

Manassas police said that Blasini hired Bennett to kill her husband.

Blasini’s daughter, 17-year-old Jessenia Blasini, was also involved and was indicted last month on charges of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, malicious wounding and criminal solicitation.
Police said that Jessenia Blasini woke her father around 1 a.m. on May 23 and said she heard a noise outside.

When he went outside to investigate, Bennett hit him several times on the head with a baseball bat, police said at the time. He was able to overpower Bennett and hold him until police arrived.
Initially police investigated the incident as a burglary, but later determined it was a murder-for-hire plot. The three were arrested on June 4.

April Blasini is scheduled to stand trial on Nov 25.

Bennett is scheduled to enter a plea to his charges on Oct. 9.

Jessenia Blasini’s trial is scheduled for Oct. 6.

A grand jury indictment means that prosecutors have sufficient evidence to take a case to trial. It is not a finding of guilt or innocence.