The attorney for a Connecticut woman accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her ex-husband asked for a mistrial during the second day of testimony because of audio issues with a recording, but the judge denied the request.
Tiffany Stevens, 39, of Bloomfield, is accused of paying John McDaid $5,000 to kill her ex-husband, Eric Stevens, in 2012 during a child custody dispute with millions of dollars reportedly at stake.
She pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and now the case is before a jury.
Authorities said McDaid didn't follow through with the plan, but instead, he told Eric Stevens what his ex-wife allegedly hired him to do, gave him a copy of a recording setting up the alleged hit and told police he never had any intention of harming the man, according to the warrant for Tiffany Stevens' arrest.
On Wednesday, the recording was played for the jury, which crowded around a computer to listen.
"You don't understand how long I've been suffering," a voice McDaid identified as Tiffany Stevens said on the recording, seemingly talking further with him about her bitter battle with her ex-husband, Eric over custody of their daughter and control of $50 million.
"He asked for a drug test. I knew it was coming," the voice said.
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Some of the audio was difficult to hear and Stevens’ defense team asked for a mistrial over audio problems, so speakers were brought in. When the audio resumed, the defense team argued that all it did was make the sound louder, not clearer.
A discussion of payment could be heard on the recording the second time.
"Just do it. Can I pay you in two weeks? I'm coming back next Friday," the voice said.
The voice reminds the other person, said to be McDaid, that a child is in the middle of it all.
"I'm scared.... I'm not going to lose my daughter," the voice said.
According to the warrant, Steven asked McDaid when he would "take him (he ex-husband) out," and said "I've already paid you $5,000."
The victim, Eric Stevens took the stand briefly at the end of the day. According to McDaid, he asked him to make the recording played in court.
