Ex-Woodbridge/Edison Man Guilty Of Hiring Hit Man To Kill Wife

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A man who formerly lived in Woodbridge and Edison was convicted on all counts Friday in a plot to pay a hit man to kill his estranged wife, who he was in the process of divorcing, acting U.S. Attorney Rachael Honig announced in this press release.

That "hit man" was actually an undercover FBI agent.

Narsan Lingala, 57, currently lives in Noblesville, Indiana, however he used to live in Woodbridge. He was arrested in 2018 after meeting the undercover hit man outside a Woodbridge shopping mall.

Lingala's trial was held in federal court in Trenton. It lasted for eight days. The jury deliberated three hours before returning the guilty verdicts against him.

Federal prosecutors say Lingala conspired with his girlfriend, Sandya Reddy, 54, to hire the hit man to kill his ex-wife. His ex-wife was living in North Brunswick at the time.

Reddy already pleaded guilty to her role in the scheme and has been sentenced to 63 months in prison.

Lingala and his wife had been married and had two children together before they decided to divorce. According to this criminal complaint, Reddy told authorities that Lingala wanted to kill his ex-wife to avoid paying child support, and so that his two children would be returned to him full time. Reddy described Lingala's relationship with his ex-wife as one of "hatred."

MyCentralJersey reported Lingala also used to live in Edison before relocating to Indiana.

His plot to kill his soon-to-be ex-wife

The case began in May of 2018, when Lingala was in a holding cell at the Middlesex County Superior Courthouse as he awaited a court hearing, said U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito, who was the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey when Lingala was first arrested. It is not known why Lingala was first arrested.

While in the Middlesex County jail cell, he allegedly asked another inmate if he knew anyone who could kill his estranged wife. The inmate responded that he knew such a person.

In June 2018, at the direction of law enforcement, the inmate introduced Lingala to an undercover FBI agent posing as a hit man. Over subsequent weeks, Lingala and the undercover hit man spoke by phone and planned to meet in person. Lingala traveled from Indiana to meet the hit man at a Woodbridge shopping mall, federal prosecutors said.

On Aug. 18, 2018, Lingala and the undercover hit man agreed to meet in person outside the mall (the exact mall was not specified). They met outside the mall; Lingala introduced Reddy and stated that she understood what was going on.

Lingala, Reddy, and the undercover hit man entered the hit man's black van. They proceeded to have a conversation that was video recorded.

The undercover hit man asked Lingala to confirm what he wanted him to do. According to federal prosecutors, Lingala said, "I want that woman to be out of my life . . . totally. Never again. She never comes back." During the conversation, the undercover hit man asked, "You want me to take care of her?" Lingala responded, "Yeah." The undercover hit man stated, "She's done, I'm going to kill her. End of story." Lingala responded, "Yeah. End of story," according to prosecutors.

Both Reddy and Lingala stressed that they did not want the ex-wife to be "tortured."

During the conversation, the FBI said Lingala provided his ex-wife's full name, home address, age, and home phone number. His girlfriend showed the hit man Facebook photos of the woman. He also described the entrances to and layout of her home; the name of the company where she worked; and the timing and details of her work commute. Lingala showed the undercover hit man photos of the exterior and interior of his ex-wife's home. He also warned them that "her boyfriend might be there."

The hit man said the job would cost between $5,000 and $10,000, depending on the job's complexity.

Lingala agreed and asked if he could pay after the job was done. The hit man said he would need a down payment. Lingala and Reddy discussed the issue, and then Lingala allegedly asked, "Can I give you a thousand down payment?" The hit man agreed. Lingala later stated, "I want that money to go into your pocket."Lingala informed the undercover hit man that making the down payment would take about two weeks.

Within minutes after that meeting, outside the mall, FBI authorities arrested Lingala and Reddy.

According to the criminal complaint, Lingala tried many times to convince his girlfriend, Reddy, not to plead guilty.

"You are in danger if you take the plea," he said. "The only option is to fight the case together against the prosecution."

"If you take a plea, our relationship will be over," he told her.

And:

"Do not take the plea. That statement you gave is going to hurt you and if you testify against me, it will hurt you badly. You are the money man who is paying for everything and if this comes out, you will be in bad shape. Do you understand?"

On Friday, Lingala was convicted on one count each of conspiring to commit murder for hire and traveling interstate with intent that a murder for hire be committed, and two counts of attempting to tamper with a witness. He is facing up to ten years in federal prison.

You can read the complaint filed against Lingala and Reddy here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-n...

Previous Patch reports: Woodbridge Man Charged With Hiring Hit Man To Kill Wife (Feb. 2018)

Woodbridge Man Plotted To Kill His North Brunswick Ex-Wife: Cops (August 2018)

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