El Cajon mother June Pickard, 57, and her son, Francis Noble, 32, pleaded guilty to attempted murder charges in court Thursday. The two are accused of taking part in a murder-for-hire plot and hiring a hitman to kill Noble’s wife back in January.
In March, prosecutors said the mother and son team hated Noble’s wife of three years, Rita Mansour, and planned to have her killed by one of Noble’s friends. Investigators called their murder-for-hire plot “mind-boggling.”
Pickard and Noble allegedly met with friend Chris Bragg in a Wal-Mart parking lot in El Cajon and offered him $1,000 down-payment, and additional future payments, if he would have Mansour killed.
At that time, Pickard allegedly gave Bragg money, personal information about Mansour and photographs of their target.
After talking with Pickard, Bragg went to police. Officers ultimately foiled the murder-for-hire plot and arrested Pickard and Noble on January 12.
Investigators said the alleged pre-meditated murder plot was for financial gain, as Pickard and Noble believed Mansour had $80,000 in her bank account.
The victim was never aware of the potential danger she was in, police said.
Pickard and Noble will be sentenced in court on September 21. They face life in prison with the possibility of parole in seven years.
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