GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.—A 67-year-old Grand Junction man has pleaded guilty to selling drugs and trying to hire a hit man to kill two people.
Robert Hakel pleaded guilty Wednesday to solicitation to commit first-degree murder, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and possession of a weapon by a previous offender. He is awaiting sentencing.
Hakel was arrested in March 2008 on accusations that he was running a methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking ring out of his apartment. Prosecutors filed additional charges in June on allegations that he possessed a rifle.
In January, Hakel was charged with trying to hire a hit man to kill his nephew and a witness while in the Mesa County Jail. Investigators say Hakel told an informant that the two had “ratted” on him, and he offered the titles to two used vehicles to have them killed.
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Information from: The Daily Sentinel,
