The murder-for-hire case against suspended NYPD cop Valerie Cincinelli is still pending, but a federal judge ruled Friday that there’s “clear and convincing evidence” she’s a danger to those she allegedly wanted dead. Because of that, the judge ruled that Cincinelli should be denied bond, meaning she will remain jailed ahead of trial, according to Newsday.
Cincinelli was charged in May after allegedly asking her boyfriend to get a hitman to kill both her estranged husband Isaiah Carvalho and the boyfriend’s teen daughter. The boyfriend agreed to wear a wire for authorities, however, according to the complaint.
Cincinelli has pleaded not guilty, and insisted she will be acquitted.
“I did not do this,” she told reporters in June.
Her split with Carvalho was tumultuous, even without the murder allegation. Her husband told ABC that their relationship started falling apart and became “distant” when they discovered she was pregnant with their son. He said she had a restraining order against him. Carlvalho said he only believed the murder-for-hire allegation, however, when authorities staged his death in a bid to trip up Cincinelli. He said that he and his wife were at the settlement stage of their divorce, saying, “I didn’t think it was as bad as maybe she portrayed it to be.”
U.S. District Court Judge Sandra Feuerstein ruled against Cincinelli on Friday, saying the defendant displayed “lack of impulse control” and “defensiveness” in a psych evaluation. The court also noted that the defendant allegedly destroyed two iPhones to cover up the plot.
“The court finds by clear and convincing evidence that defendant poses a danger to the safety of the allegedly intended victims and the community, particularly in light of the serious risk that defendant would attempt to obstruct justice, as evidenced by her alleged conduct in destroying and/or attempting to destroy evidence prior to her arrest and her disobedience of court directives while in custody,” wrote Feuerstein.
[Screengrab via CBS]
