2 Suspects in Carlsbad Murder-For-Hire Plot Held on $2M Bail

Two North County residents are now being held on $2 million bail for conspiracy and attempted murder in a shooting that locked down a Carlsbad neighborhood on Sept. 2.

The victim in the case is the estranged husband of one of the suspects.

Both of the suspects in the case, 49-year old Weldon McDavid Jr., and 43-year old Diana Lovejoy, were scheduled to be arraigned on Friday, but had their respective arraignments pushed to Monday for different reasons.

Lovejoy, was scheduled to be arraigned on Friday, but “wasn’t produced” according to the prosecutor.

Just minutes before his scheduled arraignment, McDavid told a judge he had hired a private attorney. That attorney wasn’t available for Friday’s scheduled hearing.

The delay of the arraignment means specific information on the case is still limited, but a prosecutor said Friday both were being charged with attempted murder and conspiracy. The prosecutor says the pair conspired for one month, dating back to Aug. 1.

Carlsbad police say the pair lured Lovejoy’s estranged husband to an isolated access road off Avenida Soledad. He was shot on the side, but survived the shooting.

While there is still no word of an exact motive, court records show Lovejoy was in a two year divorce battle with her husband. Court paperwork fills up three volumes that detail serious allegations made by Lovejoy.

She had a current restraining order against her husband and had won custody of their young son, who will turn four years old on Monday.

The prosecutor in the case says, if convicted, McDavid is facing 50 years to life in prison.

Lovejoy is facing 25 years to life, a lesser term because she did not pull the trigger, but was ‘vicariously armed with a firearm’ and was aware and participated in the shooting.

Contact Us