Eric Stevens Takes the Stand in Ex-Wife's Murder-for-Hire Trial

Tiffany Stevens’ ex-husband, Eric Stevens admitted to quite a few actions when he took the stand as a witness in his ex-wife’s murder-for-hire trial — but he said he didn’t concoct the threat against him, according to the Hartford Courant.

Stevens was called to the stand by Hubert Santos, the defense lawyer for Tiffany Stevens, accused of paying $5,000 to John McDaid of Simsbury, a man with a long criminal record, to kill her ex-husband, the article said. McDaid testified that he took her money, led her on, told Eric Stevens about the plotting and worked with police to get her arrested, the Courant reported. The jury also heard a second tape recording of a phone conversation in which McDaid offered to photograph Eric Stevens after killing him; Tiffany Stevens is heard laughing as she indicated that wouldn’t be necessary.

The ex-wife’s lawyer, Hubert Santos, told the judge that his questions were meant to establish whether or not Eric Stevens had been abusive toward Tiffany Stevens. Under Santos’ questioning, these were some of the things Eric Stevens admitted on the stand that he’d done: Published his wife’s phone number on craigslist advertising for sex; threatened to release a sex tape of her; owed money to bookies, but paid them back.

At stake in the dispute between the ex-wife and ex-husband is not only her potential sentencing, but control of a $50 million trust fund for whoever has custody of the couple’s daughter, now 9 years old, according to a Simsbury police arrest warrant affidavit. Eric Stevens denied on the stand that he knew of a $50 million trust fund for his daughter; he agreed that he planned to ask for custody of the daughter if Tiffany Stevens is convicted.

For many more details of Day 3 of the trial on Thursday, see the Hartford Courant article.