A Rhode Island man is accused of trying to silence the 12-year-old girl he allegedly enticed into having sexual contact by offering to pay a fellow prisoner to kill her because she needed to end up dead, prosecutors say.
On Wednesday, a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment accusing registered sex offender Chandler Cardente, 28, of Cranston of allegedly enticing the young girl to engage in sexual activity and then hatching a murder-for-hire plot to eliminate her as a witness, United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha announced in a release.
Cardente is charged with enticement of a minor; committing a felony offense involving a minor while being a registered sex offender and interstate murder-for-hire.
In 2014, Cardente was convicted of child molestation and sexual assault for abusing a 2-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl.
In July of 2021, Cardente posed as a 17-year-old boy and began talking to the 12-year-old Burrilville girl on social media, Burrillville Police Col. Stephen Lynch said.
On Dec. 3, 2021, Cardente exchanged messages repeatedly with the minor via social media. On Dec. 10, 2021, he planned to meet the girl, who was under the assumption that he was a 17-year old boy.
“She went out to the soccer field, through the woods and to Cardente in his waiting vehicle on the side of Route 102,” Burrillville Police Col. Stephen Lynch said.
Her worried family called police and reported her missing when she never came back home.
During the time Cardente was with the girl, he allegedly had sexual contact with her. At 12:30 a.m. the next morning, she was found curled up on the side of the road in Warwick, where Cardente had allegedly left her.
Cardente dumped her on the side of the road when he learned that police were looking for him.
“We believe that Cardente kicked her out of the car around 9:30 p.m., so you’re looking at a minimum of seven hours [that they were] together on Friday evening,” Lynch said.
Cardente was charged with child snatching and enticement of a child.
His bail was set at $75,000 with surety during his arraignment, but Cardente was ordered held for violating his probation from his earlier conviction.
While he was being held in state prison, Cardente made plans to have the girl killed. He communicated by telephone with another person while in the Adult Correctional Institutions.
“During these communications, Cardente expressed his intent that the victim be murdered, and offered $200 in cash and equipment worth $1,500,” the U.S. Attorney alleged.
Cardente told the person that the girl needed to end up dead because she was a witness.
According to an affidavit, “She’s a witness, she needs to go. I don’t care how she does it,” Cardente allegedly added, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit alleges that although he didn’t know it, Cardente was actually speaking to a detective. He allegedly told the detective, “I just need it done before I get indicted.
These people can’t be helped, only eliminated.
Marilyn, you are correct – but he will be out on no time to cont. his miserable live.
so long ago, that so despised Adolf had all sex offenders castrated at once.
how correct he was /
They need to do exactly that!
They walk among us. Scary as it is!
YOU PEOPLE MAKE ME LAUGH, NOW IF IT WAS A BLACK PERSON YOU WOULD HAVE CALLED HIM ALL KINDS OF NAMES AND THEN YOU WOULD HAVE WANTED TO HAVE HIM HUNG OR GIVE HIM THE DEATH PENALTY BUT BECAUSE HE IS WHITE IT IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY. YA’LL MAKE ME SICK