Clara Pantazes was shot to death in March 2000 by a killer hired by Dino Pantazes, the father of her two children and husband of nearly two decades. Dino reportedly orchestrated a devious murder plot and hired a prostitute named Jermel Chambers to kill Clara because he feared she was considering a divorce and it would have cost him too much.
Dino was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and soliciting murder in December of that same year. He was handed two life sentences, but his conviction was overturned the following years, and a retrial was announced. He was once again convicted on the same charges at the retrial in August 2002.
Meanwhile, Jermel pleaded guilty to murder and a weapons charge and was given a life sentence with an additional 20 years. She is currently serving time at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women.
According to the Maryland Department of Corrections, Dino Pantazes remains incarcerated at the Jessup Correctional Institution in Maryland.
Oxygen’s Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins will chronicle Clara Pantazes’ murder case in an episode titled Deadly Business, which is scheduled to air on the channel at 7:00 pm ET on Sunday, August 20, 2023.
Here’s an official synopsis for the same:
“Dino and Clara Pantazes run a successful bail bond business and their 20-year marriage is seemingly perfect; when Clara is gunned down at home, however, detectives wonder if an angry client is to blame or if there is more to their fairy-tale story.”
Dino Pantazes plotted his wife Clara’s murder-for-hire because divorce would have cost him too much
According to The Cinemaholic and several other reports, prosecutors believed Dino Pantazes hired prostitute Jermel Chambers for $11,000 to murder Clara Pantazes because she was considering divorce, which would have cost him too much. The couple reported operating a bail bond company together and were parents of two.
Clara Pantazes was found shot to death in the garage of their Maryland home on the afternoon of March 30, 2000. The crime scene showed signs consistent with a burglary, with several items missing, including the victim’s wedding ring and car. Six months before the murder, Clara had opened up to her son Sotereas about their marital problems and suspected Dino of cheating on her.
The shooting death was revealed after prostitute Jermel admitted that a man named Steve, who was also one of her regular clients, approached her in January of that year for murder. Another prostitute named Mimi made a similar claim that Steve made a similar offer to her. They both identified Dino as Steve from the photo lineup.
Jermel confessed that Steve, aka Dino Pantazes, gave her life to the house he shared with Clara on March 30 before opening the garage. He also gave the hired killer a pair of gloves and told her where to find the gun. Clara, unsuspecting, had been waiting in the garage where she was killed. Jermel shot her thrice, staged the scene, and fled in her car.
Where are Dino Pantazes and Jermel Chambers now?
Phone records further linked Dino Pantazes to the murder-for-hire plot. The suspect had made several calls to Jermel and Mimi in the months leading up to the murder. He was later charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation to commit murder and was convicted on all counts, receiving two life sentences.
Next year, Dino’s conviction was overturned due to some technical issues, and a retrial was announced for August 2002, when he was once again found guilty of the same charges. As per the Maryland Department of Corrections, Dino is currently serving his sentence at the Jessup Correctional Institution.
The same prison records also state that Jermel Chambers, who pleaded guilty to murder and a weapons charge, is now incarcerated at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women. She was sentenced to life with an additional 20 years.
Clara Pantazes’ murder-for-hire case is set to feature on Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins on Oxygen.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn