Murder for hire in America? Murder for hire in America? On your lunch break. Tonight on 20/20 ` hitmen for hire. You thought it just happened on The Sopranos. And it's not just gangsters. Even soccer mums are hooking up hits. So, do you have, like, a price list? So, do you have, like, a price list? You want her dead, it's gonna be five up front, five at the end. But first ` what happens when your partner gets convicted of child sexual abuse? I looked at him, and I said, 'What have you done?' A harrowing insight into the lives of those left to deal with their partner's crimes. Do you still trust him? Copyright Able 2014 Kia ora. I'm Sonya Wilson. There are some stories that simply need to be told, not because they're uplifting, life changing or just a good watch, but because they're about the experience of someone who can't speak out for fear of persecution, someone whose experience nonetheless needs to be considered. Tonight, this is a very personal account of the experience of a woman ` a wife who has chosen to stay with her husband, who is now a convicted sex offender. She's far from alone. She's one of the many silent victims. For legal reasons and for her safety, we can't disclose her identity. The words, of course, are her own, but they are voiced tonight by an actor. Here's Hannah Ockelford. In my heart, I know that he didn't want to be like that. It's an unusual love story, where for many of us, the love would've stopped long ago. At the beginning, I told no one, not even my friends. They didn't find out until after he was incarcerated, so I went through that all by myself. To this day, I really... wish we'd sat in the car and we killed ourselves. Because the path you've had to walk has been that hard? Because the path you've had to walk has been that hard? Yes. The enormity of it, the sadness of it the way people treat you. You might not know how you'd act until something like this actually happened to you. But among women whose husbands have sexually offended, some decided to stay in their relationship, like Sally. Sally is the name we've given to this woman who's been brave enough to share her story. We've had to protect her identity, so while you can't see her, it's important you listen, because the reality is one in four Kiwi women have been victims of sexual abuse and one in eight men. That means it could easily be someone you know whose partner has sexually offended against a child. We're not saying it's OK what these men do. It's not OK. I'm angry at what my husband's done. The first thing I thought of was, 'Why? Why did my husband do this? 'Why does he think like that?' The community wants to get angry first, and they don't want to think of why, because it's too scary. Sally's asking you to consider your perspective, consider how you'd react if you found yourself in this situation. Think of a guy you admire most, and how would you feel about that person if they did it, if they were a sexual offender? Would you be quick to forget him, to cast him aside? Sally's relationship began as a straightforward romance. He came into the shop I worked in, and he had a nice smile, and I thought, 'I'd like to get to know him better.' And so Sally and James, also a name we've given him, began dating. It led to marriage and almost a decade together. He's intelligent. He likes to help people. Um, he's a genuinely nice guy. Anyone that meets him thinks he's a nice guy. Before the offending, did you guys have a good sexual relationship? It was average. You know, we were both older, so obviously we're not young teenagers any more, but we were always cuddling. I'd always make sure I'd kiss him goodbye in the morning. What were the first signs that something happened? It's just the little things. It's hard to describe. In her own home, with a young female guest, Sally witnessed changes in her husband's behaviour. It's a big step to accuse someone of it, so I wanted to be sure first. Their character changes when they're around... a certain victim. Could you give me an example? Could you give me an example? It's very subtle. I knew what he wanted to do. There was no offending at that stage, but he needed help. There was something not right. Sally confronted James. Despite this, he still managed to sexually abuse the girl. I can't take it away from her. I can't make it better for her. I failed my victim. She calls her husband's young victim 'her victim'. It's an insight into the burden she carries. I got a phone call,... PHONE RINGS ...and I knew everything that was said to me on that phone call was true. And I just looked at him. And I said, 'What have you done?' And I literally collapsed. And I screamed, and I told him to get out of the house. And the first thought is, 'I have to leave my husband.' That was the first thing that came`? That was the first thing that came`? The first thing. I lost everything ` my home, my husband, my life. I've lost everything. Then the second thing that went through my mind is, 'Would I still be ashamed if I left him?' I still would've been ashamed that he'd done that and I was with a man that had done that even if I'd left, so what's the difference of staying or leaving? I'd only be leaving to do what society wants me to do, what the community wants me to do. And I wasn't quite ready to give up on him at that point. What was James' reaction after that phone call? In a way, he looked relieved ` defeated and relieved ` cos he knew it was going to come, he knew the consequences. Everybody knows the consequences when you do something like that and where you end up. Charged and convicted, James was sent to prison. Is it time that as a society, we talk about sexual offending more? Yeah. I think we're well past the time about needing to do that. Shelley Lomas is a psychologist with WellStop. She works one-on-one with the offenders as well as their family members left to pick up the pieces. Often it's not really recognised what that impact is on the family of the man who has been involved in some form of sexually offensive behaviour. They don't want to be angry; they want to be supportive; they want to be helping their partners move in a healthy direction. Sally was still married yet living alone and deeply conflicted. One side wants to kill him, and the other side wants to care for him and hug him forever. You really love James? You really love James? Yeah, I do. I really do. I really do. Do you still trust him? Not completely, no. Not completely, no. If it happened again? I would like to say I would leave. Enough is enough. But I don't know. I honestly don't know what I would do. I can understand why people react strongly to somebody who's sexually offended. What I don't understand is how do they expect people to make change when you shut down all the processes that you and I would ordinarily use to evolve and move to a better place? We leave them alone. We leave them isolated. We leave them without employment. We leave them without families. We leave them without hope. Is there hope for them? Is there hope for them? Definitely. Everybody's capable of change. And the premise there is, of course, that you need to want to change and that you need to know what it is that you're wanting to change. You need the support of people who love you. With James locked up, Sally's been going to a WellStop support group ` six other women all with partners who've sexually offended. We can lean on each other. We understand each other, because no one else really knows. They try to be understanding, but they don't really know what we're going through. It's a rare thing to find others also negotiating their way through an intensely lonely and traumatic time. You see what you were going through, and you see where you were, say, two years ago or three years ago to where you are now. And because you've been through that, you can help others. This particular group of women are just a handful of those who suffer from their partner's offending. Left with so many questions ` how come I didn't know? Why did he do it? How could he do that to me? I know this sounds really really awful, but I felt jealousy. What did she have that I don't? I felt awful. I felt ugly. I haven't told anyone this, but I used to stand in the mirror and slap my face really hard and say, 'You're disgusting.' My husband doesn't even know that I did that. I haven't even told the psychologist that I've done that. I would be at work holding a knife, and I just wanted to shove it into my arm, just because... I was in so much mental pain. I wanted physical pain as well to take the mental pain away. To process what James has done, Sally's also been seeing a WellStop psychologist. We don't say, 'You should leave him.' We don't say, 'You should stay with him.' We say, 'What's happening for you? 'How's this affecting you? 'What do you want to do next? How can we support you move through this?' Do you imagine getting to a point where you want to know quite in depth about James' urges or desires towards children? Yes. It may not change how I feel about him, cos I believe he genuinely does love me, but I need to know how to help him. And if I'm going to be there to support him and help him, I need all the details. Not just part of it; I need everything. Can you imagine wanting to have sex with him again? Can you imagine wanting to have sex with him again? That's a hard one. After it happened, no, I didn't want him to touch me sexually. I wanted to be comforted and hugged by him, but sexually, I feel inadequate as a woman. And I don't know how I'm gonna be, and I might cry the first time. In fact, I probably will. And I'll probably think, 'What's he thinking about when he has sex with me?' If I can't... I can't have sex with him, then there's no relationship; we just have a friendship. She's chosen for now to give her marriage another shot, give James a second chance. You're a brave woman sticking by him. You're a brave woman sticking by him. You say that. Maybe I'm stupid. Maybe the community thinks I'm stupid. Sometimes I think I'm stupid. And by speaking out, Sally's asking society to stop for a second and think before being so quick to judge. It's not the easy road. It's so not the easy road to go. Do I wish things were different? Yes. But they're not. Now, if you need help or advice from the WellStop organisation, they can be contacted at wellstop.org.nz We'll also put those details up on our Facebook page. Next up on 20/20 ` murder for hire. We see it on TV, read about it in books, but, really, how often does it actually happen? You might be surprised. In just the last month alone, more than 30 cases of murder for hire making national headlines ` one a day. And those are just the cases we hear about. And then there's Guillermo Vasco ` the young husband who married a pretty doctor from Massachusetts. And what you're watching is the surveillance video of him about to hire a hitman to kill his wife. Welcome back. In every corner of America right now, people with criminal minds are plotting, looking for someone to do their dirty work, from scorned lovers or husbands who want their wives dead to women who want their husbands taken out. Five men recently gave 20/20 an exclusive on-camera look into the dark world of murder for hire. Now, these men all have a secret; they're all undercover and posing as hitmen. In every corner of America right now, people with criminal minds and black hearts are plotting, looking for someone to do their dirty work ` a scorned lover, husbands who want their wives dead, women who want their husbands taken out, even children plotting against their own parents. She tried to hire a hitman to kill her father. Tonight ` we go inside the secretive and very real world of murder for hire. Just listen to this wife. MAN: What do you want done? MAN: What do you want done? I want him more than hurt. MAN: What do you want done? I want him more than hurt. I understand. You want him dead. Yeah. Then there's this Massachusetts husband who wants it done and quickly. I'm not playing any games. All I want is mission accomplished, you take care of business, we go our separate ways. And the Michigan wife who wants her husband gone, doesn't care how ugly it gets as long as it's not in the house. MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY Cos it would be messy in the house. All of them ordering a hit like most of us order dinner tonight. In fact, listen to this number. In just the last month alone, more than 30 cases of murder for hire making national headlines ` one a day. And those are just the cases we hear about. And then there's Guillermo Vasco ` the young husband who married a pretty doctor from Massachusetts. And what you're watching is the surveillance video of him about to hire a hitman to kill his wife. My wife betrayed me. My wife betrayed me. MAN: I'm gonna make it look like she disappeared. He wants her killed and buried 10ft under. He wants her killed and buried 10ft under. How soon did he want her dead? As soon as possible. You want it to be painful, or you want it done quick? For her. I don't know. I don't know. It's your money. I don't know. It's your money. (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) Ken is the hitman hired by Guillermo, and tonight he's not the only one coming forward. A group of his comrades, all men hired to kill, boarding planes, getting into their cars and on their way to sit down exclusively with 20/20. But these men all have a secret. They are undercover federal agents with the ATF posing as hitmen. They meet us at ATF headquarters in Washington, DC, where we have make-up artists waiting. Have you ever had your make-up done before? Have you ever had your make-up done before? Just this morning. That's OK. We're gonna fix it. They sit down to have their appearances completely changed. I'm feeling my feminine side coming out. Oh, there's nothing feminine about the brows I'm about to give you. MAN: You won't want to wear that out tonight. How do you find a hitman? You're not in the Yellow Pages. There's no phone number, no post on Craigslist. It's a business, like so many others, that thrives on referrals. Which brings us back to that husband, Guillermo Vasco, who, while behind bars, started asking around for a good hitman to kill his beautiful wife. But how does he want her killed? But how does he want her killed? Slowly. And he wants her to suffer. He says that? He says that? Yes. And why? It turns out Guillermo Vasco came all the way from Ecuador to America to marry that wife, a Massachusetts doctor he'd met while she was visiting his country. They would have a baby together. But authorities say when the wife started to see worrying behaviour and wanted out of the marriage for good, he showed up at the door to win her back. When she says, 'We're not getting back together'... When she says, 'We're not getting back together'... He kneeled down in front of her and out of nowhere took a piece of duct tape and put it right over her mouth and had a knife. He said, 'You have to listen to me.' Sergeant Sheila McDaid says he attacks her; their 2-month-old baby right there. He had a 5-gallon can of gasoline with him, and he said, 'This house is where our problems started, and this house is where it's gonna end. 'We're all gonna die. We're gonna go to heaven today.' She wasn't supposed to get out of there alive. She wasn't supposed to get out of there alive. They were gonna die that day. But she breaks free and escapes with her baby. Guillermo is arrested. Now sitting in prison a year after that arrest, and he is still working to kill her. She thought it was behind her. She thought he'd be put away for a long period of time. It's over. And here it is. You know, she can't escape, and this guy is behind bars and he's still trying to come at her. But when asking around for a good hitman, Guillermo makes a critical mistake ` asking another inmate who turns out to be a snitch, tipping off authorities with the ATF. How do you get wind that he wants to hire this hitman? I had a confidential informant in jail, someone who'd provided reliable information in the past. Initially he wanted both the wife and the infant daughter killed. We developed a plan that we were going to have an undercover special agent pose as a hitman and go into the jail and meet with Vasco one-on-one, face-to-face. And that hitman is Ken, wearing a hidden camera, sitting right across the table from Guillermo as that husband pulls out a letter he'd written using a special code in case it ended up in the wrong hands. He talks about his wife as a... He talks about his wife as a... ...dog. And the infant as a... And the infant as a... ...puppy. So he's talking about his family as a couple of dogs? So he's talking about his family as a couple of dogs? Yes, exactly. And he says, 'The old dog... And he says, 'The old dog... '...is too old. Won't be able to make the trip.' READS: 'Our friends and the dog, Nikki, will take this trip down there. 'Nikki is very old, and she's sick. She won't survive the trip.' This is my wife. This is my wife. OK. OK, right. So we need to` to put her to sleep. And that's code for...? Kill my wife. Kill my wife. < Kill my wife? Kill my wife. < Kill my wife? Yeah. And incredibly, listen as he offers instructions right down to how he wants her buried. Yeah, you know, probably go north. Because Maine, not many people up there. Lots of woods. As long as I make her go away and she's not gonna show up again. Do you really want her in cement? To keep her down? When somebody hires a hitman, they're looking for someone who's going to encourage the job, go along with it. Yes. If they say, 'You know, I want them` you know, their throats slit and buried over here,' you may throw out another idea, like, 'What do you think about this?' I'm a hitman. I have to have ideas. What do you think about putting her in the water, though? You load her into those drums, weigh them down, get them down, they get eaten, there's not much left. Done. She'll be killed in the woods, stuffed into an old drum and dumped at sea. Watch as the husband goes over pictures of the wife's house where she's now raising their baby and then pulls out his own hand-drawn floor plan to help the hitman. And now the money. What does he offer you? He offers me a rare coin collection, um, that he said was worth thousands of dollars. And this whole thing is being recorded? And this whole thing is being recorded? Yes. Outside those prison walls, agent Matt O'Shaughnessy hears the plot, the payment, but it turns out he wants more. So, you're about to take this much further? So, you're about to take this much further? Yes. You won't believe who they are about to enlist for help... You approach his wife? ...to put her husband away for good. She wanted to nail her husband. She wanted to nail her husband. She did. What they're about to do with that wife in the middle of the woods ` you have got to see this when we come back. Already behind bars for trying to kill his wife, Guillermo Vasco is still trying to finish the job. Murder for hire in America? He's hired a hitman, or so he thinks, to silence her for good, and he knows exactly how he wants it done. He wanted her to suffer, and he wanted to know the last thing she said before she died. So he didn't want this fast? So he didn't want this fast? No. He's going to pay for this murder with his coin collection. He wants her shot, stuffed into a barrel, dumped at sea, but he wants cement. He even brings up the Laci Peterson case, saying he doesn't want to make the same mistake as that guy, Scott Peterson. But I don't want to have happen what happened with this guy Peterson. But I don't want to have happen what happened with this guy Peterson. I know what you're talking about. He was an idiot. That's not how I do business. I said, 'Do I look like an amateur? I'm an expert. The body will never be found.' But that hired gun, Ken, is actually working undercover for someone else ` the ATF ` along with agent Matt O'Shaughnessy on the outside, about to pull the trigger on a plot of his own, even more colourful than Guillermo's. So, you approach his wife? So, you approach his wife? We did. So, you approach his wife? We did. And what do you ask her? I told her of the plan that her soon-to-be ex-husband wanted her killed. Was she surprised? Was she surprised? Shocked. How long was it before she said, 'Listen, I'm in. I'm going to help you'? Within minutes. Within minutes. She wanted to nail her husband? Within minutes. She wanted to nail her husband? She did. So what do you do? So what do you do? We had hired a movie make-up artist to make her up like she'd been shot. It's something straight out of the movies. So we go to the very same apartment in this quiet Massachusetts suburb where the police have a small field office. None of the neighbours knowing that behind this door that wife was getting a make-up job she would never forget. Detectives help us reconstruct that day with a stand-in for the wife. So, as she's sitting in this chair, the make-up artist is crafting a bullet wound in her forehead? Yes. Yes. And what is her demeanour? Very quiet. You know, just, kind of, going along with everything. She knew what she was doing? She knew what she was doing? She did know what she was doing, yes. She had to do it. She really had no choice. For the safety of herself and her child, she knew that she had to do it. With a life-like bullet wound right in her forehead, fake bruises and scratches on her hands, Mrs Vasco and Sgt McDaid drive to the woods for a scene straight out of a horror movie. Mrs Vasco looking so graphic they have her cover herself with a hood, afraid they would frighten the other drivers. She wore a hood to cover up the make-up while you were driving? Yeah. Yeah. Because people who looked in the car would think you'd just beaten her. Remember, Guillermo wants his wife murdered deep in the woods, which is right where they're headed. We came down here and, um, walked down this path. So, this was the area you had selected? So, this was the area you had selected? Yes. You bring her out here, and you ask her to do what? Well, she was asked to lay in different positions. Again, they help us reconstruct the scene with that stand-in. To make it look like there had been a struggle. You actually took her shoe off? You actually took her shoe off? Yes. And mixed her in with the leaves? And mixed her in with the leaves? Mixed her in. And then she laid there and had her picture taken as if she had been killed. It was the performance of her life, but in the end too close to home. Right when it was all done, she just let go, and she cried and` and, um, really, she` she just released every emotion. And it's not over yet. Now armed with those grisly photos of a dead wife, it's time for Ken to go undercover again as the hitman. You've got these photographs, and you're headed back to the jail. How realistic do these images look to you? How realistic do these images look to you? Very realistic. I mean, it looks like this person was tortured, beaten and murdered. Ken is now back at that prison, about to show Guillermo what he's done. And when you show those images to him? I tell him, 'Listen, it's done, and here it is.' And I slide a picture across the table and show it to him. And just watch right here ` the smile beginning to appear on Guillermo's face. This sick grin comes across his face ` no remorse, no nothing. It was just pure evil. It really was. There was joy and evil in his face at the satisfaction of knowing that she was dead. What did he say? What did he say? He wanted to know that I let her know that this was for Guillermo. He wanted you to say that? He wanted you to say that? Yes. > 'This is for Guillermo'? 'This is for Guillermo'? Yes, and I told him that's exactly what I did. And take a closer look right here as that husband casually looks at the photos of his dead wife. At one point, we hear him ask about the hole in her head. What's this there? It's a .22 hole. It's a .22 hole. OK. So, how do you like the work? So, how do you like the work? Speechless. He wanted to know if that was a bullet wound? He wanted to know if that was a bullet wound? Yes. He nodded in approval. That you'd shot her in the head? That you'd shot her in the head? Yes. OK, so this is a good day for you. OK, so this is a good day for you. Yeah. OK, so this is a good day for you. Yeah. Everything is moving forward. Thank you. Thank you. I made sure she realised it was from you. Thank you. I really appreciate it. And you have now my friendship. He said, 'I give you undying respect and loyalty for what you have done.' So there was no question he was pleased? No question whatsoever. No question whatsoever. He thought his plan was carried out? No question whatsoever. He thought his plan was carried out? Yes. Armed with everything they need, the undercover team is about to return to that prison with their own surprise for Guillermo. MAN: Good seeing you, man. > At first, telling him his wife has disappeared. He denied any knowledge of where she could be. Was he concerned at all that his wife was missing? Was he concerned at all that his wife was missing? No. He didn't show any emotion towards it. He said he didn't do it, he didn't know what they were talking about, and so they decided to bring me in. When you walked in with your badge around your neck? You could see his shoulders slump, his head drop down. He was shaking his head, tears started coming out, and he knew he had been had. Where were the tears for his wife? Where were the tears for his wife? There were none his wife. Those tears were for him. He realised he was going to jail for a long time. He realised he was going to jail for a long time. Good work. And as for the wife who had long ago washed that gruesome make-up off her face, she was finally ridding herself of the husband who had hoped that bullet hole was real. She saw the video. I mean, she saw it. She saw her husband... She saw her husband... Yes. She saw her husband... Yes. ...look at those photos and smile? Mm-hm. She did. Still a doctor, still raising that daughter. I can't say it enough. She` She really` I mean, she's a hero, and, um, she's just an amazing woman ` very strong. She figured out a way out. She figured out a way out. She did. When we come back ` caught on tape in broad daylight. The soccer mom right there in a supermarket parking lot. Shoppers, workers walking right past her ` no idea what she's plotting inside that car. I know I've watched many Lifetime movies. I just want to make sure you're not an undercover agent. What she wants done and how... Do I want someone to take her out? Do I want me to go into the house with my silencer and take them all out? ...and what she does that stuns the agents when we come back. Across the Hudson River from New York City, the part of New Jersey known for neon and noir. Murder for hire in America? The version of Jersey made famous by The Sopranos and the mob boss who called the shots. But the plot we're tracking tonight is about to play out in broad daylight with a much different boss calling the shots. Right there on surveillance, that's Nicole Faccenda, a suburban soccer mom and a scorned lover; sitting in a supermarket parking lot, unsuspecting shoppers pushing their carts right past her. She's doing a little shopping and then comes out to meet the hitman? She's doing a little shopping and then comes out to meet the hitman? Yes. Because that's what most people have on their grocery list (?) Because that's what most people have on their grocery list (?) She did. Shopping for flowers, she says, but cops believe she's in the market for murder. How you doing? How you doing? Hi. How are you? How you doing? Hi. How are you? Have a seat. Plotting revenge on the other woman. So, what can get done? You could just make her disappear? You could...? What could get done? When you say 'disappear', you want her out of this state, or you want her`? So you're saying you could just go break her legs or you could go`? So you're saying you could just go break her legs or you could go`? Exactly. And who is she trying to hire? You'll remember our hitmen, who are, in fact, undercover federal agents, who've agreed to sit down with us as a group for the first time ever. But to do it, they spend hours getting disguised. Among them, an agent we're calling Jose. Covered in a sort of goo before he gets a brand-new appearance. They make a mould, and from there, they build new features for his face. There we go. The same agent who would sit in that car with that scorned lover. I don't want to keep beating around the bush, but hurt or dead ` either/or. And it turns out, it's not just her first time ordering up a hit. This is his first time as the hitman. And he takes us to where it all began. We rigged the car to avoid showing his face. How did she get to this point that she wanted to kill another woman? How did she get to this point that she wanted to kill another woman? She was angered at the fact that he was leaving her, and she wanted her dead because she wanted to get back at him. Nicole's bad break-up ` smiling here with that limo-driver boyfriend, but that boyfriend with a double life. A few exits down the parkway, he has another girlfriend named Jennifer, a nurse, and it turns out, another family ` two children with her. She's just a bitch. I think she's 30 years old. She's got two kids. You don't want the whole <BLEEP>. But she wants the boyfriend to live? But she wants the boyfriend to live? She wants him to live because she wants him to grieve. She wants to watch him suffer? She wants to watch him suffer? Yes. Nicole in the lonesome corner of a love triangle. And nobody puts Nicole in a corner. A little grocery shopping, a little homicide, just the cure for a broken heart. I've played every scenario through my head a million times. Do I want the car to go off the highway? Do I want someone to just come up and take her out? Do I want me to go into the house with my silencer and take them all out? Like, I go to sleep every night thinking. She goes to sleep at night wrestling with how to murder the other woman. But wide awake, just a few cars away in that supermarket parking lot, federal agents listening to her every word. Among them, agent Angela Mullins. So, she has no idea that as she's talking to the hitman, you're right here in the same parking lot, listening to the whole thing? listening to the whole thing? No clue. And what are you listening for? And what are you listening for? That she wants to carry this through. So you're listening to make sure she really wants to kill this guy? So you're listening to make sure she really wants to kill this guy? Absolutely. For days, every secret meeting, every phone call, every text message intercepted, and all of it given exclusively to 20/20. The whole time shoppers are around, and a murder's being planned. And she's plotting to kill someone. And she's plotting to kill someone. Murder for hire in America? And she's plotting to kill someone. Murder for hire in America? On your lunch break. But nothing in that car is what it seems. The guy in the backseat right there is the man who introduces Nicole to the hitman. So she's thinking of the darkest person in her life, the person who might know a hitman. Yes. Ironically, the guy she relies on for help is a relative of her ex-boyfriend. And she asks him what? And she asks him what? She asks him if he knew someone that is willing to kill someone for her. He knows where to find her a hitman, because what she doesn't know is that he's long been an undercover informant for the feds. You just tell him the scenario, and he'll get it done, no <BLEEP>. Que sera sera. What's in your mind when the person across from you wants someone killed? You want to yell, 'What's wrong with you?' You have your poker face. 'If this is what you want done, I'm gonna do it.' Suddenly the first test for that first-time hitman. She thinks he looks more like a cop than a killer. She told me I didn't look like a hitman. So I asked, 'What's a hitman look like?' You look like one today. You look like one today. Yeah, today I do. Nicole appearing very nervous, leaning far away from Jose. only her hand in view at this point, and Jose tries to reassure her. Scott said you had a problem with somebody, and I'm here to take care of it, but what is it you want me to do with your problem? Um, OK, I don't know. Fix my problem, I guess. How do I fix it? You tell me what you want me to do, and I can see to it that it gets taken care of, but` How is it gonna get taken care of? How is it gonna get taken care of? How do you want it`? How is it gonna get taken care of? How do you want it`? Well, what did he tell you? And watch right here as Jose is about to be interrupted, soon looking down at his phone. She's going to do something to you, so you want to do something to her in return? He's reading a text, and it's actually help from those agents, listening from a nearby car, now coaching him. But listen to how he explains it to that suburban soccer mom, saying it's just his friends texting. Oh boy. Asking to go out for beer. And we listen in as Jose goes down his mental checklist, right here offering the standard hitman disclaimer ` her out. You gotta be serious about <BLEEP>. You know what I mean? Once it's done, it's done. There's no turning back. And while Nicole may be new to this life of crime, she's a quick study. Because as it turns out, she has seen a lot of TV. I want to make sure you're not an undercover or a federal agent, and suddenly, cars are all over. If I get arrested, I'm` I'll lose my job. And just listen to what she says next, fearing she's a star in the making. I know I've watched one too many Lifetimes. I'm in a horrible` I know I've watched one too many Lifetimes. I'm in a horrible` Lifetime? I've watched too many Lifetime movies. I've watched too many Lifetime movies. This is about TV now? So she says to you she feels like she's living a Lifetime movie? So she says to you she feels like she's living a Lifetime movie? Yes. Now she's living a 20/20. Now she's living a 20/20. (CHUCKLES) Are you worried then this thing could go down the tubes because she is so suspicious? She's looking around, looking for cameras, and at first, you know, that is a little bit unsettling. And Nicole is not only suspicious. In that supermarket parking lot, she demands a price check. And so do you have, like, a price list? If you want her dead, it'll be five up front and five at the end once it's completed. That's it? 10? That's it? 10? Yeah, give me 10. She thought my price was too low. She thought you were a cheap hitman? She thought you were a cheap hitman? Yes, she actually did. She raised the money. It was funny. You guys have got to talk about your rates. You guys have got to talk about your rates. I know, really. > Watch as Nicole leaves the car with a smile on her face, laughing after the deal she got at the supermarket. When we come back, you'll hear from the soccer mom now describing exactly what she wants done, stunning even the agents. I want to go piss on her grave. I want to go to her funeral and spit in the casket. And then the most critical moment of all, and suddenly she's missing. And you're waiting and waiting, and she's not here? Agents fearing, 'Has she done something on her own?' When we come back. A sunny afternoon in broad daylight, and at the top of one shopper's list ` the murder of the other woman. 20/20 given exclusive access as federal agents listen in just a few cars away as Nicole Faccenda plots the murder of her romantic rival. But so far, she is cautious and careful with her words. You know what I want. I want to be dressed in black. (LAUGHS) I'm not saying it. Say what? Say what? I'm not saying it. The hitman, really that undercover federal agent, now wondering, 'Does the suspect suspect?' And I'm sorry that I'm crazy from watching too many Lifetime movies. And I'm sorry that I'm crazy from watching too many Lifetime movies. That's all right. But they keep going, and two days later ` another parking lot, another conversation. See, I, like, would think either she disappears and she's just never found, like these people are never found. like these people are never found. OK. like these people are never found. OK. That would be one good thing. I wouldn't care if she was in a horrible, horrible, horrible car accident and mangled up and` You know, I don't` don't care. Like, gone. I want to go piss on her grave. I want to go to her funeral and spit in the casket. So you want to see her dead? So you want to see her dead? I will be happiest when this woman is dead and buried and 6ft under. But Nicole is now digging her own grave. And when asked what to do with the ex-boyfriend, it turns out, kill the woman, keep him. She says get rid of the woman? She says get rid of the woman? You know, shoot him in the foot or something. I don't want him hurt, but if he's limping around, if he has a cast on, who cares? She wants to see him suffer. She wants to see him at the other woman's funeral. But perhaps darkest of all, listen to this. When asked what to do if the other woman's children get in the way... I don't give a <BLEEP>. Don't think I'm a bad person, but if something happened and one of the kids got killed, oh well, I'm sorry. You know what? So if the kids get in the way? So if the kids get in the way? Take 'em out. Take 'em out. Kill 'em? Take 'em out. Kill 'em? Yep. She agrees to pay $20,000 for the murder. And look at this ` authorities giving 20/20 the photo she texted to make sure they get the right woman. And then she texts the picture of the girlfriend? Yeah, it doesn't get any more serious than that. You'll remember the husband in the last case. He wanted proof ` a picture of his wife shot in the woods. In this case, they offer Nicole the same thing ` a photo. She doesn't want any Kodak moments; she wants something else. I can get him to give you a picture of her dead, finished. I don't want a picture. We're gonna get busted with a picture. I don't want any pictures. I'm gonna go to the funeral. She doesn't want a picture? She doesn't want a picture? She wants to go to the funeral. She wants to go to the funeral? She wants to go to the funeral? She wants that satisfaction, knowing what she's done, and kind of savour it, which is quite sick. Now they need just one more thing to nail her ` the cash. They set a meeting place. You're here at the Olive Garden, people are having dinner, like most people would here, and you're waiting for her to show up with the cash. and you're waiting for her to show up with the cash. Right. And you're waiting and waiting, and she's not here. And no sign of her. And you're waiting and waiting, and she's not here. And no sign of her. No sign of her. Suddenly stood-up by their dinner date, concerns racing through their heads. Has she changed her mind? Does she now want out of that Lifetime movie? Or worse, has she taken action on her own? They finally get her on the phone. Hey, where are you? And where had she been? Her son's soccer game. So you get her on the phone? So you get her on the phone? Get her on the phone. So you get her on the phone? Get her on the phone. And where is she? She's over at the Exxon. She's over at the Exxon. Over here. They learn she's now just a few 100ft away. MAN: OK, he's moving. He's gonna go now. The agents scramble. Their wires, their cameras out of position. Listen, he's gonna have to walk over to the Exxon station. But the informant, the bagman, gets to the gas station to fill her up. She hands you the envelope, and what's inside? She hands you the envelope, and what's inside? Her down payment ` cash. How much cash? How much cash? She did $2000. Basically it's a down payment on murder? Basically it's a down payment on murder? It's a down payment on murder. You've got her. You've got her. Yep. MAN: 8:36pm. Special agent Alongi. This concludes the undercover meet. Two days later, the informant calls Nicole to tell her that the other woman is dead. Listen to me. Listen to me clearly. Jennifer is dead. No way. No way. Jennifer's dead. But the other woman, of course, is very much alive and now in protective custody, told by Agent Mullen someone wants her killed. Pulled over her car and informed her there had been a threat against her life. And what did she say? And what did she say? And the first thing, as she was shaking, that came out of her mouth was that, 'Is it Nicole?' She knew who it was? She knew who it was? She knew who it was. The other woman. The other woman. The other woman. Agent Mullen takes us to the hotel restaurant where Nicole manages the catering, in charge of the baked goods, having no idea what they've baked up for her. She has no idea that you're about to move in? She has no idea that you're about to move in? No. No clue. They send the confidential informant in first, wearing a tiny camera. And watch right here ` her reaction. Not cool. Outside she lets loose. I can't believe you did this to me. Don't show up here. That's not cool. She was actually annoyed that the man who was helping her kill the other woman had now shown up at work. She says she can't believe it, and she doesn't believe he did the job. I don't believe either one of you. I don't believe either one of you. Moments later, she is under arrest. So after you lock her up, you talk to her? Yes. Yes. Does she have any remorse? Yes. Does she have any remorse? None at all. And the tears in the backseat of the police cruiser, were they for the girl she tried to have murdered? were they for the girl she tried to have murdered? They were only for herself. And tonight, from a federal prison in West Virginia, where that soccer mom is now serving 10 years after pleading guilty, she is reaching out to 20/20 in an email, accusing the feds of baiting her. 'I was at an emotional low point in my life, and they took advantage of that.' She says, 'I am not and never have been a violent person. 'I was a woman destroyed by emotions, and I am paying for it dearly.' But that hitman reminding us in that car in that supermarket parking lot, he gave her several outs. I want to make sure that you know what you're getting yourself into when you want this done. And when you look back on that rookie case? She got, honestly, what she deserved. Now, if you want to see any of tonight's stories again, you can head to our website. You can also email us at... Or, of course, go to our Facebook page. We're at... and let us know your thoughts on tonight's show. Thanks for all your feedback. We're interested in your stories, as always, so do keep those ideas coming in.