Food Network Chef Juan-Carlos Cruz Pleads Not Guilty to Wife Murder-for-Hire Plot
LOS ANGELES (AP) A former television chef has pleaded not guilty to charges involving an alleged plot to hire homeless men to kill his wife.
Juan Carlos Cruz, who hosted the Food Network show "Calorie Commando," entered the plea Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Prosecutors charged him with attempted murder and solicitation of murder.
The district attorney's office says the 48-year-old chef offered money to two homeless men to kill his wife. Santa Monica police arrested Cruz on Thursday after one of the homeless men contacted the department.
Cruz's bail has been set at $2 million, and a preliminary hearing has been scheduled June 23.
MORE ON CRIMESIDER
May 17, 2010 - Did Juan-Carlos Cruz, Food Network Star, Hire Homeless Men to Kill Wife?