US: Israeli call girl accused of hiring hit on ex-husband
Denver resident Elinor Dvir arrested for allegedly hiring undercover police officer posing as hit man to murder ex-husband, Pitkin County prosecutor over child custody battle and as revenge for turning her into immigration authorities
Aspen, Colorado is a small peaceful city known mainly for its ski slopes, but this week, the city was shaken by an affair that included the attempted assassination of a county prosecutor, and undercover cop posing as a hit man, and the main suspect in the case, an Israeli call girl and diamond smuggler.
The Aspen Post reported on Friday that the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office planned to file an indictment against Elinor Dvir, a 36-year-old Israeli woman living in Denver Colorado.
Dvir is accused of paying an undercover police officer posing as a hit man $2,000 to kill her ex-husband, Pitkin County Prosecutor Richard Nedlin. Aspen media reported Dvir and Nedlin were in the midst of a custody battle for their daughter.
The Aspen Daily News said Dvir wanted revenge against her ex-husband, who she believed turned her in to immigration authorities which lead to her spending 20 months in detention.
A source from the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office said the undercover officer who set up the sting operation that led to Dvir's arrest told police he asked the woman why she wanted her ex-husband dead.
'Terrified for my life'
The officer said Dvir responded saying she was "arrested by ‘INS’ for importing diamonds from Israel” and “that is why she (was) pissed".After her arrest, Dvir said the attempted hit was mainly out of concern for her daughter, adding, “He cleaned me out of everything, my clothes, and car”. Dvir said she was “really terrified for my life" and that Nedlin "knew how to find me and he had sent investigators to the house.”
Nedlin refused to comment on the matter, but a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office said he was present at Dvir's first court appearance on Monday.
Dvir was on immigration hold from December 16, 2005, to September 11, 2007, an ICE official said, but later was granted US residency. Dvir believed it was her ex-husband who turned her in to the authorities.
After her release, the suspect began working for an escort service called Denver Metro VIP, where she went by the name "Capri" and advertised her services on the web.
Ads for Capri described her as a “classy, exotic, petite, stunning princess serving only the gentlemen who wish for finer treatment” at a “luxury in-call location with all the amenities.”
'It has to be done in very smart way'
Dvir and her ex-husband were in the middle of a custody battle for their daughter, who is currently living with Nedlin and his new wife in Aspen. Dvir allegedly showed the "hit man" a diagram of the house, pointing out the location of Nedlin's bedroom.She also told the undercover officer it should be easy for him to enter the house since most Aspen residents don't tend to lock their doors at night.
Dvir asked the officer to make the murder look like an accident, since she would be the main suspect if any signs of foul play were found.
“If the body disappeared that’s fine but I’d prefer it to look like an accident, like stuff his body with cocaine, like an overdose. It has to be done in a very smart way,” read an excerpt from a transcript of the undercover officer’s alleged conversation with her that was published in the Aspen Daily News.
The suspect also said she didn't care if Nedlin's pregnant wife was also killed in the hit, and when the phony hit man agreed to her terms, Dvir haggled over the price and managed to bring it down to $2,000.
Dvir was arrested for suspected solicitation of first-degree murder, and her bail was set at $100,000. A public defender will be appointed to Dvir by the court, and prosecutors said they haven't yet decided what charges will be brought against the Israeli.
