A grand jury has indicted a Cranston, RI man for hiring a hitman to murder the 12-year-old girl he allegedly lured into participating in inappropriate and lewd acts with him.
Chandler John Cardente, a 28-year-old registered offender, is alleged to have posed as a 17-year-old to attract the victim. Beginning on December 3, 2021, he engaged in social media discussions with her, and on December 10, 2021, he picked the victim up from school in Burrillville, RI. At this time, Cardente convinced the victim to participate in some form of a sex act. The victim was located by Warwick Police several hours later, curled up on the side of Jefferson Blvd.
Police arrested Cardente for the alleged offense and detained him at an Adult Correctional Institution in Cranston. While being held, he is also accused of plotting a scheme to get rid of the young victim. Cardente used the prison phone to make a call to “a person” who could help him. “I got a 12-year-old witness, and she needs to end up dead – you’re OK with that,” he asked the supposed hitman on the other end of the line. He offered up $200 cash and $1500 in equipment for eliminating the witness. Cardente didn’t know he was talking to an undercover detective from the Rhode Island State Police. The police became involved after it was learned that Cardente had attempted to convince an inmate at the facility to help him carry out his plan.
The grand jury indictment charges Cardente with the enticement of a minor; committing a felony offense involving a minor while being a registered offender; and interstate murder-for-hire. The penalty for enticing a minor is a minimum of 10 years and can carry a life sentence in some instances. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Past charges against Caredente include a July 2014 conviction on one count of first-degree child molestation and one count of third-degree sexual assault. He was later also convicted of sex offender registration violations in February and June of 2019, as well as in September and November of 2020.
