An ex-model from Staten Island has been charged with attempting to hire a hit man to kill two doctors who she believes caused her father's death. Unfortunately for her, that "hit man" turned out to be an undercover FBI officer. According to the criminal complaint, Morena Costello, either 38 or 46, paid the officer $400 and told him that "she wanted them 'to suffer like her father suffered.'" To clarify, she "picked up her father's death certificate, pointing to the word 'Death,' and asked, 'Can you read this part right here?'"
Her father, Bella Costello, entered Staten Island University Hospital last January with heart problems, and succumbed to heart failure shortly afterward. Outside the court, Bella's son, Jessie Costello, claimed his father was given inadequate treatment and the family had considered suing the hospital. The hospital had moved him to the cardiac care unit, but the family expressed concern over his being kept lying in bed all day. A family friend said he then died of fluid that had accumulated in his lungs. Costello's lawyer, Mildred Whalen, said she became extremely distraught, and that, "this case stemmed from mental-health issues."
Costello allegedly mentioned her hit-man plot to a friend, who then told the FBI. She is being held without bond on murder for hire charges pending a mental health exam.
