State police arrest CT man in murder-for-hire plot to prevent court testimony

A Putnam man has been accused of trying to hire a hitman to stop someone from testifying against him in court.

Leonard Thuo Mwithiga, 52, was taken into custody Monday after an undercover trooper posed as a hitman, according to Connecticut State Police.

He faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder, attempt to commit murder with special circumstances and attempt to commit intimidation of a witness.

State police said they learned of the murder-for-hire scheme after a man entered the state police Troop D barracks in Danielson on Saturday and said his employer, identified as Mwithiga, had asked for his help finding a hitman.

“It was determined that there is a current court proceeding involving the accused and the victim in which the execution of this murder-for-hire plot would render the victim unable to testify in such proceeding,” Connecticut State Police wrote in a statement.

An extensive investigation conducted by detectives with the Eastern District Major Crime Squad led to a joint operation between the Bureau of Special Investigations and the Violent Crimes Task Force in which a state police trooper posed as a hitman for hire, according to state police.

State police on Tuesday did not release additional information about the underlying court proceeding in the murder-for-hire plot. Judicial Branch records reviewed Tuesday showed no pending criminal charges against Mwithiga.

Court records show Mwithiga’s wife filed for divorce in October and that the two have a pending family case involving a custody dispute.

Mwithiga was held on a $5 million bond following his arrest. He was expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Danielson Superior Court.