Cook County Jail inmate, his fiancé charged in murder-for-hire plot

COOK COUNTY - A Cook County Jail inmate and his fiancé are accused of trying to hire a hitman to take out a witness in the man's murder case.

In May, investigators say they discovered 27-year-old Michael Aguirre was trying to find a hitman. They then had an undercover officer visit Aguirre at the jail.

Aguirre offered to pay the undercover officer $2,500 to have the witness killed, officials said. He allegedly told the hitman that his fiancé, 23-year-old Julissa Ochoa of North Aurora, would provide a down payment of $1,000 and a photo of the witness.

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Officers met Ochoa on June 9 and took her into custody. She was charged with solicitation of murder for hire, and remains jailed in Cook County on a $500,000 bond.

Michael Aguirre and Julissa Ochoa | Cook County Sheriff's Office

Aguirre was charged June 10 with solicitation of murder and solicitation of murder for hire.

Aguirre was already jailed for allegedly passing a gun to a codefendant who is accused of using the weapon to shoot and kill a 14-year-old girl in Chicago in June 2021.

In addition, Aguirre is charged with attempted murder after he allegedly shot a witness in the murder case multiple times.

He has a bond hearing on June 14.