MONROE, Wash. — Detectives arrested a Monroe father for trying to hire someone to kill his wife and 4-year-old daughter.
According to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, Jeff Lytle sent a text message asking someone named "Shayne" to kill his family for the insurance money.
He promised to share the $1.5 million policy with "Shayne."
KIRO 7 obtained the court documents that contain the text messages investigators say Lytle sent the man he wanted to hire to kill his family.
"Hey Shayne hows it going. You remember you said that you would help me kill my wife. I'm going to take you up on that offer."
"-- life insurance is worth 1 million and if you want a bounes you can kill [JL]. Her life insurance is 500K."
"---if you can make it look like a robbery gone wrong or make it a accident she works at Walmart she gets off at 11:00."
"I'll split everything with the insurance 50/50"
Investigators said Lytle, 42, sent the text message to his former employer by mistake. His former employer called police.
Monroe police arrested Lytle at his home on Wednesday afternoon for investigation of two counts of criminal solicitation for murder in the first degree, domestic violence.
Lytle appeared in court in Snohomish County Thursday afternoon. The judge set his bail at $1 million.
KIRO 7 talked to Lytle's roommate outside his Monroe house on Thursday afternoon. German Ellano knew something was going on but didn't understand that Lytle was arrested for trying to hire someone to kill his wife and daughter. Ellano wondered if it could be a misunderstanding.
"He's not going to do something like that," said Ellano.
According to court documents Lytle told investigators he wrote those texts to "vent" and that he had no intention of sending them to anyone, that it must have been a mistake.
He even told investigators maybe his 4-year-old daughter sent the text messages. Prosecutors believe Lytle sent them and wanted his wife and daughter killed.