Officials say the man tried to hire a sheriff's detective who was posing as a hit man to kill his wife's boyfriend.
By JAMAL THALJI, Times Staff Writer
Published October 23, 2005
WESLEY CHAPEL - Robert Bellon wanted to hire a hit man to kill his estranged wife's boyfriend, authorities say, and he wanted her to watch him die.
"What if the wife (is) killed?" the hit man asked.
"So be it," Bellon reportedly said, "as long as I don't get charged extra."
Only it wasn't a hit man Bellon allegedly conspired with. It was an undercover Pasco County Sheriff's detective.
The 51-year-old counselor at Cross City Correctional Institution in Dixie County was charged Friday with solicitation to commit murder.
Bellon, of 640 SE 295 Ave. in Old Town, was booked into the Pasco County jail where he was still being held Saturday after a judge set $250,000 bond.
His wife and her boyfriend were not identified in a sheriff's report.
The meeting took place at 2:20 p.m. Friday at the Best Western Hotel at 5639 Oakley Blvd. in Wesley Chapel, according to the report. Bellon had his wife's address and $300 to $400 for a down payment, the report said.
Bellon was willing to pay $8,000 to have the boyfriend killed, the report said, paying $4,000 up front and another $4,000 afterward.
He brought with him locations the couple frequently visited, descriptions of their vehicles and of the boyfriend's physical appearance, according to the Sheriff's Office. After his arrest, the report said, deputies found the cash on Bellon. After Bellon was read his rights, the report said he told deputies he was divorcing his wife, which led to the loss of his home and contact with his stepson.
