Palm Harbor, Florida - His son was severely injured in a crash that made national headlines, and now Edward Graziano is in jail charged with trying to hire a hit man to kill his estranged wife.
Edward Graziano is the father of John Graziano, the 25-year-old who was severly injured in a car crash while riding with Nick Bollea back in August 2007.
The arrest is the culmination of a two-and-half month long investigation by the Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigative Division in which Graziano is alleged to have held multiple meetings and negotiations with a tipster and an undercover detective posing as a "go-between" to a "hit man" in order to solicit the murder of his wife. Investigators say Graziano subsequently paid to have the crime committed.
According to detectives, Graziano paid $1,100 in cash, $1,000 in a personal check and a $13.06 gift card to Westshore Pizza to have his estranged wife murdered.
Graziano was arrested at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday at his private residence in Palm Harbor.
The Sheriff's Office says the investigation began in December 2008, following a tip that Edward Graziano was soliciting the murder of his wife. Detectives followed up the tip to assess its validity and determined the threat to be real. They say the next step was meeting with the victim and her attorney, George Tragos, to inform them of the threat.
According to detectives, Graziano, the tipster and the undercover agent ironed out the details of how the murder was to be conducted and the amount to be paid. Detectives say Graziano told deputies he wanted to have his wife killed by having her become involved in an automobile accident.
He further provided his wife's schedule, in order to give the "go-between" possible options on days to conduct the hit and ensure an alibi for himself.
Investigators allege Graziano's actions in the commission of this crime to be a culmination of divorce-related financial issues.
he Grazianos' son, John, was severely injured in a 2007 car crash with his friend, Nick Bollea. Bollea is the son of wrestling star Hulk Hogan, and served more than 150 days after pleading guilty to reckless driving charges.
Because of brain and other injuries, John Graziano -- a former United States Marine -- will need medical care for the rest of his life.
This is not Edward Graziano's first run-in with the law. Shortly after the accident with his son and Nick Bollea, Edward was arrested for getting into a "domestic brawl" with other family members at the hospital where John was being treated. Edward was also arrested in June of 2007 for domestic battery, battery on a law enforcement officer and tampering with a witness.
We obtained domestic violence injunctions filed by both John and Debra Graziano that tell of a chaotic relationship with Edward.
In September of 2004, John says his father "Charged and hit me, then tried to bust into my bedroom door while I held it closed." He says Edward Graziano "took a screw driver ... Tried to climb into my bedroom window." In the report, John Graziano says his father "In the past has thrown objects at me and charged me to fight."
Debora told authorities her husband took "a long carving knife, put to my throat and he threatened to cut my coratted (sic) artery." She adds Graziano "said if I go for alimony he'd hunt me down like a (expletive) dog and put a bullet in my head, then his own."
However the final straw for Debora was that in 2004 her husband allegedly targeted John as well. In the sworn statement she says, "Now he is going after our son, not just myself and his obsession with cutting my throat is just too much."
