Texas Man Who Tried To Kill Ex-Girlfriend Twice By Hiring Hitmen Gets Life In Prison

A Texas man who tried to murder his former girlfriend twice with the help of hitmen has been sentenced to life in prison.

The sentencing of Robert Letourneau, 61, came Tuesday after a week-long trial. A jury convicted Letourneau of solicitation of capital murder, KHOU-11 reported.

"This predator is a case study in how fast domestic violence can escalate, which is why we take all allegations of domestic violence so seriously," said Kim Ogg, Harris County district attorney. "Even behind bars, he was a danger to our community."

Letourneau had a history of violence. He was arrested multiple times in 2019 for harassing and assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Susan Lawlor. He was first arrested in January 2019 for contacting Lawlor by violating a protective order. He was later released on a $2,000 bond.

The second arrest came in March the same year on charges of aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping. He was accused of attacking Lawlor by holding a screwdriver to her throat and forcing her to withdraw money from several ATMs.

While in prison, Letourneau allegedly tried to hire a fellow inmate to kill the victim. However, the inmate alerted the authorities. Following this, he was charged with solicitation of capital murder, ABC 13 reported at the time.

Letourneau allegedly made a second attempt to kill the woman by approaching another inmate, promising him $5,000 and auto parts as a reward for carrying out the murder.

The second inmate was an undercover agent posing as a hitman, who showed a morphed photo that appeared to show his girlfriend had been killed. Letourneau was so pleased with the undercover agent that he even tried to hire him to kill the first hitman, the Harris County District Attorney's office said.

"Anyone can be a victim of domestic violence and once you're in it, is very hard to get away from it," Assistant District Attorney Nathan Moss said.