On the night of December 1, 2010, Nathan Joseph Villagomez Paet, a 28-year-old male U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant from Guam, was preparing to leave his Las Vegas home for his shift at Nellis Air Force Base. As he entered his garage, he was ambushed and shot five times. Gravely wounded, Paet stumbled back into his house, collapsing in front of his four young children before succumbing to his injuries.
His wife, Michelle Paet, made a frantic 911 call, feigning shock and horror at the brutal attack on her husband.
The initial investigation into what appeared to be a tragic, random act of violence soon uncovered a sinister plot. Detectives learned that Michelle Paet was having an affair with a co-worker, Michael Rodriguez. The investigation revealed that the two had been planning Nathan Paet's murder for months, driven by a desire to collect on his $650,000 in life insurance benefits. On the night of the murder, Michelle had sent a text message to Rodriguez, alerting him that her husband was on his way out of the house.
Authorities subsequently arrested Michelle Paet, Michael Rodriguez, and a nine-time convicted felon named Corry Hawkins. Rodriguez had hired Hawkins to assist in the killing. Hawkins' girlfriend at the time, Jessica Austin, was also arrested for her role as an accessory to the crime. Investigators found that after the shooting, Rodriguez and Hawkins went to Hawkins' apartment, where they burned their clothes in a fireplace to destroy evidence. The case against the conspirators was solidified when Michelle Paet confessed to her involvement in the murder-for-hire scheme.
For their roles in the cold-blooded murder, the main conspirators received severe penalties. Michelle Paet pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and conspiracy, and a judge sentenced her to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Michael Rodriguez was convicted by a jury and also received a sentence of life without parole. Corry Hawkins pleaded guilty to murder and other charges to avoid a potential death sentence and was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole. Jessica Austin pleaded guilty to a felony conspiracy charge.
