Woman arrested in murder-for-hire plot bonds out of the El Paso County Jail
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Vanessa Lavaty, the Colorado Springs woman accused of unknowingly trying to pay an undercover cop $500 to kill her ex-fiance, has been released from the El Paso County Jail on bond. Lavaty was given a $75,000 bond on May 18.
13 Investigates spoke with the ex-fiance, Timothy Hanes, the same day she was given bond. Hanes said he feared the day she would be granted early release.
"I have to worry about what is good for my daughter now and make sure that I'm in that courtroom to tell the judge that 'there's no way on god's green earth that she should have a right to roam free until she gets the help that she needs," Hanes said.
Thursday, 13 Investigates spoke to Hanes again to get his reaction to Lavaty posting her $75,000 bail. Hanes said he got a phone call Wednesday night warning him that the suspect in his case was released from jail.
"If there was going to be an amount, I said it should be one million or more. I don't think that she should be out," Hanes said. "If you try to kill somebody then you are a threat. That's not somebody that I think should be roaming the streets."
In the affidavit, Jorgensen said Lavaty liked the idea because she could pay for the murder with her credit card and use the mechanic shop as a cover. Investigators say Jorgensen told her the "job" would cost between $2,000 and $4,000.
The day Jorgensen claimed he was going to meet his contact, the affidavit said he actually reported the plot to law enforcement.
From there, CSPD Metro Vice and Narcotics began an investigation and an operations plan was developed.
According to the affidavit, Jorgensen agreed to have "Josh," an undercover investigator, meet Lavaty at their apartment to receive a $500 down payment in cash before the murder.
"Once you give somebody money, you basically pulled the trigger. As far as she knows, once she handed that money over, I was going to be dead," Hanes said.
On the evening of Monday, May 16, the affidavit says Jorgenson wore a wire to record his conversation with Lavaty. During that interaction, they discussed the murder-for-hire plot.
Hanes said he believes Lavaty's record of no prior criminal arrests was a factor in her bond amount, and the judge's decision to grant her bond in the first place. Hanes also expressed frustration with the lack of resources for men involved in domestic violence crimes.
"There's nothing out there that is willing to support men," Hanes said. "I was told by the detectives that I would be placed in a victims assistance program, but I've only gotten one call and it was an automated call telling me that she bonded out of jail."
13 Investigates spoke with Colorado Springs attorney Jeremy Loew about the bond amount for solicitation of murder charges, charges he says are uncommon for the court.
"Had the person followed through with murder, it would have been a no-bond hold," Loew said. "Solicitation of murder is a very serious charge, but the bond statute says that you can't make the bond amount oppressive."
Lavaty has no prior criminal history before the solicitation of murder charges was levied, something Loew says contributed to the decision on the bond amount by the judge.
"If she had no criminal history, this is her first offense, she has ties to the community, $75,000 isn't absurd," Loew said.
Loew also noted that she likely did not post the full $75,000 amount, largely because she can pay less than 10% of that amount if she used a bondsman.
"Through a bondsman, her bond could have been as low as $4,000. $4,000 on $75,000 is relatively easy for someone to come up with a collection of friends and family," Loew said.
