the whole time, there are shoppers in the parking lot. >> and she's plotting to kill someone. >> murder for hire in america. >> on your lunch break. >> tonight, a killer "20/20." murder for hire. it's a living for the men hired to kill. >> the sooner you could kill, the better. >> yes. >> tonight, david muir riding shotgun on real life cases. jaw-dropping surveillance tapes you'll only see here. husbands who want to kill their wives. >> you really want her in cement, keep her down? >> a jersey soccer mom who wants to eliminate the other woman. >> i wouldn't care if she was in a horrible, horrible car accident. >> okay. >> and mangled up. >> and the other woman herself. with a $20,000 price tag on her

head. >> at that moment, did you sense you were very close to being dead? >> absolutely, yes. >> but there's a secret -- the hitmen they're hiring are really undercover federal agents. >> so, as you sit down with "20/20," how many of you are in disguise? >> tonight, "20/20" on the inside. the elaborate plots. the makeup. the fake murderers in the woods. >> she laid there and had her picture taken as if she had been killed. >> and when they get what they think they paid for, dead spouses, watch him smile. >> she's dead. it's done. >> what they really get is busted. >> she said to you, she feels like she's living a lifetime movie. >> yeah. >> and you'll see it all go down. murder for here. here's david muir and elizabeth vargas. >> good evening and welcome to a special "20/20" saturday. and tonight, what most people don't put on their christmas shopping list -- a hitman. to do away their rye values in

love, in business, you name it. but you're about to see a group of hired guns coming forward to sit down with you, david, and they have a giant secret to reveal. >> this is really something. these hitmen are all under cover federal agents. right now, we're showing them in action like you rarely see. on stakeouts and setting up stings. like that soccer mom, who wants to do away with the other woman. but tonight here, does she have a surprise coming, and so does her target. and you're about to see it all unravel. in every corner of america, right now, people with criminal minds and black hearts are plotting, looking for someone to do their dirty work. a scorned lover, husbands who want their wives dead, women who want their husbands taken out. even children plotting against their own parents. >> she tried to hire a hitman to kill her father. >> tonight, we go inside the secretive and very real world of murder for hire. just listen to this wife. >> what do you want done? >> i want him more than hurt. >> i don't understand. you want him dead?

>> yeah. >> then there's this massachusetts husband who wants it done and quickly. >> i'm not playing any kind of games here. all i want is mission accomplished. you take care of business, and we go our separate ways. >> and the michigan wife who wants her husband gone and doesn't care how ugly it gets as long as it's not in the house. >> you don't want it done in the house then? >> because it would -- it would be messy in the house. >> all of them ordering a hit like most of us order dinner tonight. in fact, listen to this number. in just the last month alone, almost 30 cases of murder for hire making national headlines, about one a day. and those are just the cases we hear about. and then there's guillermo vasco, the young husband who married a pretty doctor from massachusetts. and what you're watching is the surveillance video of him about to hire a hitman to kill his wife. >> my wife betrayed me. >> i'm going to make it look like she disappeared. >> exactly. >> he wants her killed and buried ten feet under. >> how soon did he want her dead? >> as soon as possible. do you want it to be painful, or do you want it done quick? for her? it's your money. >> yeah, yeah.

quickly. >> ken is the hitman hired by guillermo. and tonight, he's not the only one coming forward. a group of his comrades, all men hired to kill, boarding planes, getting into their cars and on their way to sit down exclusively with "20/20." but these men all have a secret. they're undercover federal agents with the atf posing as hitmen. they meet us at atf headquarters in washington, d.c., where we have makeup artists waiting. >> just this morning. >> that's okay. we're going to fix it. >> they sit down to have their appearances completely changed. >> i'm feeling my feminine side coming out. >> oh, there's nothing feminine about the brows i'm about to give you. >> you're not going to want to wear that out tonight. >> prosthetic noses, cheeks, facial hair, the disguises, the only way they can truly reveal what it is they do. jeanne marie laskas knows the stakes. she's reported on their hidden world for "gq."

>> this is really extreme cop work, heroic cop work that the public does not know about. >> you have 30 minutes. >> our clock rolls, and after more than three hours, they're ready. and we have never seen an entrance quite like this, walking in to sit down with us. gentlemen, good to see you. welcome. >> it's nice to meet you. >> the agents offer up first names only. >> jose? >> yes. >> and? >> i'm lenny. >> lenny? your real name? >> real name. ken. >> ken. real name? >> yes. >> your real hair? >> no. >> so just a show of hands, how many of you are in a disguise today? >> all but one in disguise. lenny, the only one no longer working undercover. their appearances so transformed, so over the top, even these hardened agents are humored. i mean, when you look in the mirror with that getup, does it shock even you? >> yes. >> but those are the stakes? >> right. >> did any of you send a photograph to your wife?

>> i sent a photograph, yes. >> one agent tried to facetime with his wife and baby boy right before our interview. >> he just had this crazy look on his face like he didn't know who i was. >> who's my daddy? >> right, exactly. >> yeah. as for ken's wife? >> she said i was a cross between a biker and a lion. >> and while these disguises may look comical, the very real danger these men face is no laughing matter. because you'll be back on the street tomorrow? >> yes. >> what do they want in a good hitman? >> well, someone's going to carry out the job. >> someone more ruthless than them. >> exactly. >> you know, just like you'd go to find a plumber to come to your house and fix a pipe, they're looking for an expert to take care of their problem. >> and these are dark people. >> these are dark, dark-hearted people. >> but how do you find a hitman? i mean, you're not in the yellow pages. there's no phone number, no post on craigslist. it's a business like so many others that thrives on referrals, which brings us back to that husband, guillermo vasco, who, while behind bars, started asking around for a good hitman to kill his beautiful wife. but instead of wanting her killed quickly, guillermo now tells ken this --

>> slowly and he wants her to suffer. >> he says that? >> yes. >> and why? it turns out guillermo vasco came all the way from ecuador to america to marry that wife, a massachusetts doctor he'd met while she was visiting his country. they would have a baby together, but authorities say when the wife started to see behavior that worried her and wanted out of the marriage for good, he showed up at the door to win her back. so when she says, "we're not getting back together?" >> he kneeled down in front of her, and out of nowhere took a piece of duct tape and put it right over her mouth and had a knife. and he said, "you have to listen to me." >> sergeant sheila mcdaid says he attacks her, their 2-month-old baby right there. >> he had a five gallon can of gasoline with him, and he said, "this house is where all our problems started, and this house is where it's going to end we're all going to die we're going to go to heaven today." >> she wasn't supposed to get out of there alive. >> they were going to die that day. >> but she breaks free and escapes with her baby. guillermo is arrested.

now sitting in prison a year after that arrest, and he is still working to kill her. she thought it was behind her though, didn't she? >> yeah, she thought that he's going to be put away for a long period of time, it's over. and here it is. she can't escape it. this guy's behind bars and he's still trying to come at her. >> but when asking around for a good hitman, guillermo makes a critical mistake, asking another inmate who turns out to be a snitch, tipping off authorities with the atf. how do you get wind that he wants to hire this hitman? >> i had a confidential informant in the jail, someone who'd provided reliable information in the past for us. initially, he wanted both the wife and the infant daughter killed. we developed a plan that we're going to have an undercover special agent pose as a hitman and go into the jail and meet with vasco one-on-one, face to face. >> and that hit man is ken wearing a hidden camera, sitting right across the table from guillermo as that husband pulls out a letter he'd written using a special code in case it ended up in the wrong hands.

he talks about his wife as a -- >> dog. >> and the infant as a -- >> puppy. >> so he's talking about his family as a couple of dogs? >> yes, exactly. >> and he says the old dog -- >> is too old and won't be able to make the trip. >> our friends and their dog nikki will take this trip down there. nikki is very old, and she's sick. she won't survive the trip. my wife, okay? so we need to put her to sleep. >> and that's code for -- >> kill my wife. >> kill my wife? >> yeah. >> and incredibly, listen as he offers instructions right down to how he wants her buried. >> if we can bury her out of massachusetts, would be just perfect. >> yeah, you know, probably go north. >> yeah. >> because maine, not many people up there. lots of woods. >> just make sure that the body be more than ten feet down.

>> so she doesn't show up again. >> do not forget the cement. >> once i make it go away and she's not going to show up again, do you really want her in cement? >> yes. >> to keep her down? >> yeah. >> when somebody hires a hit man, they're looking for someone who's going to encourage the job, go ling with it. >> yes. if they say, "you know, i want them, you know, their throats slit and buried over here," you get that conversation, you may throw out another idea like, "well, what do you think about this?" you know, i'm a hitman. i have to have ideas. what do you think about putting her in the water, though? in the water, they disappear. you load her into those drums, you know, weigh them down, get them down, they get eaten, there's not much left. >> i think i like that idea better. >> done. she'll be killed in the woods, stuffed into an old drum and dumped at sea. watch as the husband goes over pictures of the wife's house where she's now raising their baby and then he pulls out his own hand-drawn floor plan to help the hit man. and now, the money. what does he offer you? >> he offers me a rare coin

collection that he said was worth thousands of dollars. >> and this whole thing is being recorded? >> yes. >> outside those prison walls, agent matt o'shaughnessy hears the plot, the payment, but it turns out he wants more. so you're about to take this much further? >> yes. >> you won't believe who they're about to enlist for help. you approach his wife? to put her husband away for good. she wanted to nail her husband? >> she did. >> what they're about to do with that wife in the middle of the woods. you have got to see this -- when we come back.

walmwith an intel processor the hfor great performance. yeah, i'm using it to video chat with santa. no way! yeah. he's naughty. get the top 100 gifts at unbeatable prices. like the hp stream laptop with intel inside. walmart. ghirardelli squares peppermint bark.zvous ♪ rich chocolate layers and festive peppermint. a ghirardelli original. ♪ a little reward for all the things you do ♪ get them before they disappear. you want to hibernate? heal it... ...with nivea extended moisture body lotion. it intensively moisturizes for 48 hours to heal dry skin. look for savings in sunday's newspapers... ...for nivea the pain felt like my feet were on fire.e pain. i had these very burning, needle-like sensations. i knew i needed to see a doctor. my doctor said, "let's try lyrica." lyrica has helped relieve my pain.

it's known that diabetes damages nerves lyrica is fda-approved to treat diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions, or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. having less pain... it's a great feeling. ask your doctor about lyrica today. it's specific treatment for diabetic nerve pain. ♪ let's spark the fire. use your mastercard with apple pay okay handbag out there...surprise!! and you could get a priceless surprise. woah!! who's next? four!!

from golf experiences to concert tickets. ♪ so much cooler when you do it do it do it. ♪ ♪ let's spark the fire. even the chance to meet gwen stefani. ♪ let's spark the fire. cool hair ah! haha priceless. ♪ everybody let's go!

murder for hire continues on "20/20" saturday. once again, david muir. >> already behind bars for trying to kill his wife, guillermo vasco is still trying to finish the job. he's hired a hitman, or so he thinks, to silence her for good, and he knows exactly how he wants it done. >> he wanted her to suffer before she was killed and he wanted to know the last thing she said before she died. >> so he didn't want this fast? >> no. >> he's going to pay for this murder with his coin collection.

he wants her shot, stuffed into a barrel, dumped at sea, but he wants cement. he even brings up the laci peterson case, saying he doesn't want to make the same mistake as that guy scott peterson. >> but i don't want to have happen with what happened with -- with this guy peterson. >> no, i know what you're talking about. >> scott -- >> he was an idiot. that's not how i do business. i said, "do i look like an amateur? you know, i'm an expert. the body will never be found." >> but that hired gun ken is actually working undercover for someone else, the atf. along with agent matt o'shaughnessy on the outside, about to pull the trigger at a plot of his own, even more colorful than guillermo's. so you approach his wife? >> we did. >> and what did you ask her? >> i told her of the plan that her or soon-to-be ex-husband wanted her killed. >> was she surprised? >> shocked. >> how long was it before she said, "listen, i'm in, i'm going to help you?" >> within minutes. >> she wanted to nail her husband? >> she did. >> so, what do you do?

>> we had hired a movie makeup artist to make her up like she'd been shot. it's something straight out of the movies. >> so we go to the very same apartment in this quiet massachusetts suburb where the police have a small field office. none of the neighbors knowing that behind this door, that wife was getting a makeup job she would never forget. detectives help us reconstruct that day with a stand-in for the wife. so as she's sitting in this chair, the makeup artist is crafting a bullet wound in her forehead? >> yes. >> and what is her demeanor? >> very quiet, you know, just kind of going along with everything. >> she knew what she was doing? >> she did know what she was doing, yes. she had to do it. she really had no choice. for the safety of herself and her child, she knew that she had to do it. >> with a lifelike bullet wound right in her forehead, fake bruises and scratches on her hands, mrs. vasco and and sergeant mcdaid drive to the woods for a scene straight out of a horror movie.

mrs. vasco looking so graphic, they have her cover herself with a hood, afraid they would frighten the other drivers. she wore a hood? >> yeah. >> to cover up the makeup while you were driving? >> yeah, yeah. >> because people who looked in the car would think -- >> right. >> -- you'd just beaten her. remember, guillermo wants his wife murdered deep in the woods, which is right where they're headed. >> we came down here and walked down this path. >> so this was the area you had selected? >> yes. >> so you bring her out here and you ask her to do what? >> well, she was asked to lay in different positions. >> again, they help us reconstruct the scene with that stand-in. >> to make it look like they had been a struggle. >> you actually took her shoe off? >> yes. >> and mixed her in with the leaves? >> mixed her in and then she laid there and had her picture taken as if she had been killed. >> it was the performance of her life, but in the end, too close to home. >> right when it was all done, she just let go and she cried and -- and really, she -- she

just released every emotion. >> and it's not over yet. now armed with those grisly photos of a dead wife, it's time for ken to go undercover again as the hitman. so you've got these photographs now and you're headed back to the jail. how realistic do these images look to you? >> very realistic. i mean, it looks like this person was tortured, beaten and murdered. >> ken is now back at that prison about to show guillermo what he's done. and when you show those images to him? >> i tell him, "well, listen, you know, it's done, and here it is." and i slide a picture across the table and show it to him. >> and just watch right here, the smile beginning to appear on guillermo's face. >> this sick grin comes across his face. no remorse, no nothing. it was just pure evil, it really was. there was joy and evil in his face at the satisfaction of knowing that she was dead. >> what did he say? >> he wanted to know that i let her know that this was for guillermo. >> he wanted you to say that? >> yes. >> "this is for guillermo?" >> yes and i told him that's

exactly what i did. >> and take a closer look right here as that husband casually looks at the photos of his dead wife. at one point, we hear him ask about the hole in her head. >> you see what i am saying? that? a .22 hole. >> okay. >> so how do you like the work? >> speechless. >> he wanted to know if that was a bullet wound? >> yes. he nodded in approval. >> that you'd shot her in the head? >> yes. okay, so, this is a good day for you. >> yeah. >> everything is moving forward. >> thank you. >> i made sure she realized it was from you. >> thank you, i appreciate it and you got my now, my friendship. >> he said, i have an undying respect and loyalty for what you'd done. >> so there was no question he was pleased? >> no question whatsoever. >> he thought his plan was carried out? >> yes. >> armed with everything they need, the undercover team about to return to that prison with their own surprise for guillermo. >> oh, good seeing you, man. >> at first, telling him his

wife has disappeared. >> he denied any knowledge of where she could be. >> was he concerned at all that his wife was missing? >> no. he didn't show any emotion towards it. he kept saying he didn't do it, he didn't know what they were talking about, and so they decided to bring me in. >> and when you walked into that room with your badge hanging around your neck? >> you could just see his shoulders slump, his head kind of drop down. he was shaking his head. tears started coming out. and he knew he had been had. >> where were the tears for his wife? >> there were no tears for his wife. those tears were for him. he realized he was going to jail for a long time. >> good work. and as for the wife who had long ago washed that gruesome makeup off her face, she was finally ridding herself of the husband who had hoped that bullet hole was real. >> she saw the video. i mean, she saw it, you know? >> she saw her husband -- >> yes. >> -- look at those photos and smile. >> she did. >> still a doctor, still raising that daughter. >> i can't say it enough. she -- she really, i mean, she's a hero, and she's just an amazing woman, very, very

strong. >> she figured out a way out. >> she did. >> when we come back, caught on tape in broad daylight, the soccer mom right there in a supermarket parking lot. shoppers, workers walking right past her with no idea what she's plotting from inside that car. >> i know i've watched too many lifetime movies. i just want to make sure you're not an undercover federal agent. >> what she wants done and how. >> do i want someone to just take her out? do i want me to go into the house with my silencer and take them all out? >> and what she does that stuns the agents. >> and what she does that stuns the agents. when we come back. because it helps m bad stuff. i'm good. that's what i like to call, the meta effect. 4-in-1 multi-health metamucil now clinically proven to help you feel less hungry between meals. experience the meta effect with our new multi-health wellness line. i love my meta health bars. because when nutritious tastes this delicious, i don't miss the other stuff. new meta health bars help promote heart health.

experience the meta effect with our new multi-health wellness line. ♪ at st. jude i was number two. yeah, but that was a good thing. sam was the second of seven patients to receive a new cancer treatment available only at st. jude children's research hospital, and that discovery will be shared with hospitals all across america. st. jude gives kids like me a shot. a great shot. go to st. jude dot org or shop wherever you see the st. jude logo. for the woman whoter than the shines brightest... ♪ ♪ i am yours and i know you are mine... ♪ kay jewelers presents -- the leo artisan diamond. ♪ my love you shine so bright... ♪ yes! the design of its facets produces an incredible level of brilliance. from the creators of the first diamond certified to be visibly brighter. now at kay, the number one jewelry store in america. ♪ ...my love you shine so bright. ♪

♪ every kiss begins with kay. why do i cook for the to share with family to carry on traditions to come together, even when we're apart in stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and more, swanson® makes holiday dishes delicious! discohi! card. so it says here i can redeem my cashback bonus for cash. do i need to have a certain amount? nope, now you can redeem your cashback for any amount, any time. that's great. yeah, you can use it for a statement credit or even get the cash. nice. i could use that extra cash for a last-minute gift... one less thing hanging over your head, right? tell me about it. (to guy.) gary, you got to go. who's gary? a mistake from last year coming back around again... too much egg nog! yes! laaaaa... at discover we treat you like you'd treat you. now redeem your cashback for any amount, any time. get it at discover.com. what if one push up couldcoli cprevent heart disease?cancer?

one. wishful thinking, right? but there is one step you can take to help prevent another serious disease- pneumococcal pneumonia. one dose of the prevnar 13 ® vaccine can help protect you ... from pneumococcal pneumonia, an illness that can cause coughing, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and may even put you in the hospital. prevnar 13 is used in adults 50 and older to help prevent infections from 13 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. you should not receive prevnar 13 if you've had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or its ingredients. if you have a weakened immune system, you may have a lower response to the vaccine. common side effects were pain, redness, or swelling at the injection site. limited arm movement, fatigue, head ache muscle or joint pain, less appetite, chills, or rash. even if you've already been vaccinated with another pneumonia vaccine, prevnar 13 ® may help provide additional protection. get this one done. ask your healthcare professional about prevnar 13 ® today.

murder for hire returns with david muir.

>> across the hudson river from new york city, the part of new jersey known for neon and noir, the version of jersey made famous by "the sopranos" and the mob boss who called the shots. but the plot we're tracking tonight is about to play out in broad daylight with a much different boss calling the shots. right there on surveillance, that's nicole faccenda, a suburban soccer mom and a scorned lover. sitting in a supermarket parking lot, unsuspecting shoppers pushing their carts right past her. so she's doing a little shopping, and then she comes out to meet with a hitman. >> yes. >> because that's what most people have on their grocery list? >> she did. >> shopping for flowers, she says, but cops believe she's in the market for murder. >> how are you doing? >> hi, how are you? >> have a seat. >> plotting revenge on the other woman. >> so what can get done? you could just make her disappear? you could -- what could get done?

>> when you say disappear, like, you want her out of this [ bleep ] state, or -- >> you're saying you could just go break her legs or you could go do anything? >> exactly. >> and who is she trying to hire? you'll remember our hitmen who are, in fact, undercover federal agents who've agreed to sit down with us as a group for the first time ever. but to do it, they spend hours getting disguised. among them, an agent we're calling jose, covered in a sort of goo before he gets a brand-new appearance. they make a mold and from there, they build new features for his face. >> there we go. >> the same agent who would it is in that car with that scorned lover. >> i don't want to keep beating around the bush, but that's hurt or dead, either or? >> and it turns out, it's not just her first time ordering up a hit. this is his first time as the hitman. and he takes us to where it all began. we rigged the car to avoid showing his face. how did she get to this point that she wanted to kill another woman? >> she was angered at the fact

that he was leaving her, and she wanted her dead because she wanted to get back at him. >> nicole's bad >> nicole's bad breakup, smiling here with that limo driver boyfriend, but that boyfriend with a double life. a few exits down the parkway, he has another girlfriend named jennifer, a nurse and it turns out another family, two children with her. >> she's just a [ bleep ] who's been involved. i think she's like 30 years old. she's got two kids. you don't want to hear the whole [ bleep ]. >> but she wants the boyfriend to live? >> she wants him to live because she wants him to grieve. >> she wants to watch him suffer? >> yes. >> nicole in the lonesome corner of a love triangle and nobody puts nicole in a corner. a little grocery shopping, a little homicide, just the cure for a broken heart. >> i've played every scenario through my head a million times. do i want the car to go off the, the highway? do i want someone to just come up and take her out? do i want me to go into the house with my silencer and take them all out? like, i go to sleep every night thinking. >> she goes to sleep at night wrestling with how to murder the other woman, but wide awake,

just a few cars away in that supermarket parking lot, federal agents listening to her every word. among them, agent angela mullins. so she has no idea that as she's talking to the hitman, you're right here in the same parking lot, listening to the whole thing? >> no clue. >> and what are you listening for? >> to show that she wants to carry this through. >> so you're listening to make sure that she really wants to kill this guy? >> absolutely. >> for days, every secret meeting, every phone call, every text message intercepted, and all of it given exclusively to "20/20." so, the whole time there are shoppers in the parking lot, and there's a murder being planned. >> and she's plotting to kill someone. >> murder for hire in america? >> on your lunch break. >> but nothing in that car is what it seems. the guy in the backseat right there is the man who introduces nicole to the hitman. so, she's thinking of the darkest person in her life, the person who might know a hitman out there? >> yes. >> ironically, the guy she relies on for help is a relative of her ex-boyfriend. and she asks him what? >> she asked him if he knew someone that is willing to kill

someone for her. >> he knows right where to find her a hitman, because what she doesn't know is that he's long been an undercover informant for the feds. >> you just tell him the scenario, and he'll get it done, no [ bleep ]. que sera sera. >> what's going through your mind when the person across from you wants someone killed? >> you just want to yell at her, "what's wrong with you?" you have to sit there with your poker face and, "okay, this is what you want done, this is what i'm going to do." >> suddenly, the first test for that first-time hitman. she thinks he looks more like a cop than a killer. >> she told me i didn't look like a hit man. so my question to her was, "what's a hitman look like?" >> you look like one today. >> yes, today i do. >> nicole appearing very nervous, leaning far away from jose, only her hand in view at this point and jose tries to reassure her. >> okay, i heard that you had a problem with somebody, and i'm here to take care of your problem, but what is it you want me to do with your problem? >> um -- okay, i don't know. fix my problem, i guess. >> how do i fix your problem? you tell me what you want me to

do, and i can see to it that it gets taken care of, but -- >> how is it going to get taken care of? >> that's what i'm here to do. >> and watch right here as jose is about to be interrupted, soon looking down at his phone. >> she's going to do something to you -- so you want to do something to her in return? he's reading a text, and it's actually help from those agents listening from a nearby car now coaching him. but listen to how he explains it to that suburban soccer mom, saying it's just his friends texting. >> asking to go out for beer. >> and we listen in as jose goes down his mental checklist, right here offering the standard hit man disclaimer, her out. >> you've got to be serious about this [ bleep ], you know what i mean? because once it's done, it's done. there's no turning back. you understand that? >> and while nicole may be new to this life of crime, she's a quick study, because as it turns out, she has seen a lot of tv. >> i just want to make sure you're not like an undercover federal agent -- >> oh, okay. >> -- and like, all of a sudden, cars are all over. if i get arrested, i'm -- i'm -- >> first of all -- >> -- i'll lose my job.

>> and just listen to what she says next, fearing she's a star in the making. >> and i know i've watched one too many lifetimes. i'm in a horrible, horrible -- >> lifetime? >> i've watched too many lifetime movies. >> this is -- this is about tv now? >> so she says to you she feels like she's living a lifetime movie? >> yes. >> now she's living a "20/20." are you worried, at that point, this thing could go down the tubes because she is so suspicious? >> she's looking around, looking for cameras. and at first, you know, that is a little bit unsettling. >> and nicole is not only suspicious, in that supermarket parking lot, she demands a price check. >> and so do you have, like, a price list? >> if you want her dead, it's going to be five up front, five at the end once it's completed. >> that's it, ten? >> yeah, give me ten. she thought my price was too low. >> she thought you were a cheap hitman? >> yeah, she actually did. she raised the money, it was funny. >> you guys got to talk about your rates. >> i know, really. >> watch as nicole leaves the car with a smile on her face, laughing, after the deal she got

at the supermarket. when we come back, you'll hear from the soccer mom now describing exactly what she wants done, stunning even the agents. >> i want to go piss on her grave. i want to go to her funeral and spit in the casket. >> and then the most critical moment of all and suddenly she's missing. and you're waiting and you're waiting and she's not here. agents fearing has she done something on her own? what happens? when we come back. walgreens knows the holidays are full of surprises. that's why, whenever the need arises... walgreens is always right around the corner, so you can get in and out in no time. and help keep the magic in your holidays. at the corner of happy and healthy. plus get up to $20 in jingle cash on next week's purchase of $30 or more. rightabreva can heal itold sore, in as few as two and a half days

when used at the first sign. without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. you could heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. learn how abreva starts to work immediately at abreva.com don't tough it out, knock it out, fast. with abreva. take aand... exhale...in... aflac! and a gentle wavelike motion... ahhh-ahhhhhh. liberate your spine... ahhh-ahhhhhh...aflac! and reach, toes blossoming... not that great at yoga. yeah, but when i slipped a disk he paid my claim in just four days. ahh! four days? yep. see why speed matters, at aflac.com.

i've been babysitting these kids for years. there's like eight of them - eight? maybe three. i don't know whatever.

it's like really hard to keep track of them. it's a pretty big house. anyway, that's why i really love this nest protect smoke and carbon monoxide alarm. it tells you which room the smoke is in and tells you when things are getting bad. heads up - there's smoke upstairs. that's probably taylor. he's like so into fireworks right now. anyway, it's nice to- emergency - there's smoke upstairs. i should probably go. nest protect. welcome to a more thoughtful home.

once again, david muir and murder for hire. >> a sunny afternoon in broad daylight, and at the top of one shopper's list, the murder of the other woman.

"20/20" given exclusive access as federal agents listen in just a few cars away, as nicole faccenda plots the murder of her romantic rival. but so far, she's cautious and careful with her words. >> you know what i want? i want to be dressed in black. i'm not saying it. >> say what? >> i'm not saying it. >> the hitman, really that undercover federal agent, now wondering, does the suspect suspect? >> and i'm sorry that i'm crazy, watched so many lifetime movies. >> that's all right. >> but they keep going and two days later, another parking lot, another conversation. >> see, i'd like to think that either she disappears and she's just never found like these people are never found. >> okay. >> like, that would be one good thing. i wouldn't care if she was in a horrible, horrible, horrible car accident -- >> okay. >> -- and mangled up and -- >> okay. >> -- you know, i don't, i don't care, like, gone. i want to go piss on her grave. i want to go to her funeral and

spit in the kas pet. >> so, you want to see her dead, is that what you want? >> i will be happiest when this woman is dead and buried and six feet under. >> okay. >> but nicole is now digging her own grave. and when asked what to do with the ex-boyfriend, it turns out, kill the woman, keep him. she says get rid of the woman. >> you know, shoot him in the foot or something. >> i don't want him hurt, but if he's limping around, if he has a cast on, who cares? >> she wants to see him suffer. she wants to see him at the other woman's funeral. but perhaps darkest of all, listen to this. when asked what to do if the other woman's children get in the way? >> i don't give a -- okay, let me tell you, and don't think i'm a bad person -- >> okay. >> -- but if something happened and one of the kids got killed, oh well, i'm sorry. you know what? >> so if the kids get in the way -- >> take them out. >> take them out. kill them? >> yep. >> she now agrees to pay $20,000 for the murder. and look at this. authorities giving "20/20" the photo she texted to make sure they get the right woman. and then she texts the picture of the girlfriend. >> yeah.

it doesn't get anymore serious than that. >> and you'll remember the husband in the last case. he wanted proof, a picture of his wife shot in the woods. in this case, they offer nicole the same thing, a photo, but she doesn't want any kodak moments. she wants something else. >> i could get him to get, give you a picture of her dead, finished. >> i don't want a picture. we're going to get busted with a picture. i don't want any pictures. i'm going to go to the feral. >> she doesn't want a picture. >> she wants to go to the funeral. >> she wants to go to the funeral. >> she wants that satisfaction, knowing what she's done, and kind of savor it, which is quite sick. >> so seeing the casket, she thinks it's better proof than any picture? >> absolutely. >> at the end of the rainbow, when it's all done and finished, you'll pay him the rest, correct? >> at the end of the rainbow, you know, we'll figure it out. absolutely. >> when you see a bullet in her head from a picture, finished, will you have the money ready for him? bottom line. >> yeah, i will when it's done. >> nicole is now one step away

from closing the deal. she'll make a down payment, the balance due after jennifer is dead. murder on layaway. they set up another meet at a local restaurant, but she has no idea those atf agents will be there, too. you're right here at the olive garden, people are having dinner, like most people would at the olive garden -- >> right. >> -- and you're waiting for her to show up with cash. >> right. >> and you're waiting and you're waiting, and she's not here. >> exactly. >> and no sign of her? >> no sign of her. >> suddenly, stood up by their dinner date, concerns racing through their heads. has she changed her mind? does she now want out of that lifetime movie? or worse, has she taken action on her own? they finally get her on the phone. >> hey, where are you? >> and where had she been? her son's soccer game. so you get her on the phone? >> get her on the phone. >> and where is she? >> she's over at the exxon. >> over here. they learn she's now just a few hundred feet away. >> okay, she's moving. he's going to go now. >> the agents scramble, their wires, their cameras out of

position. >> listen, he's going to have to walk over to the exxon station. >> but the informant, the bagman, gets to the gas station to fill her up. and she hands you the envelope and what's inside? >> her down payment cash. >> how much cash? >> she had $2,000. >> so basically it's a down payment on murder? >> it's a down payment on murder. >> you've got her. >> yep. >> 8:36 p.m. this concludes the undercover meet. >> the agents have heard enough, but still no arrest. nicole, allowed to drive off. they want more evidence for an air-tight case as the murder-for-hire plot enters its final hours. >> the next call i'm going to do to you is when [ bleep ] she's gone. she's 86, dead. finito, that's it. once you're dead, you're dead. you follow where i'm going with this? >> yeah. >> nicole, at work at this new jersey hotel, finally gets the phone call she says she'd been waiting for, the hit on the other woman. sonny, the hitman's helper, is

on the line, calling to say the job is done. >> listen to me. listen to me clearly. jennifer is dead. >> no way. >> jennifer is dead. >> but the other woman, of course, is very much alive, and now in protective custody, told by agent mullins someone wants her killed. >> pulled over her vehicle and informed her that there had been a threat against her life. >> and what did she say? >> and the first thing, as she was shaking, that came out of her mouth was that, "is it nicole?" >> she knew who it was. >> she knew who it was. >> the other woman? >> the other woman. >> agent mullins takes us to the hotel restaurant where nicole manages the catering, in charge of the baked goods, having no idea what they've baked up for her. she has no idea that you're about to move in. >> no, no clue. >> they send the confidential informant in first, wearing a tiny camera. and watch right here, her reaction. >> what's up? >> not cool. >> outside, she lets loose. >> i can't believe you did this to me. don't show up here.

that's not -- that's not cool. >> she was actually annoyed that the man who was helping her kill the other woman had now shown up at work. she sa she can't believe it, and she doesn't believe he did the job. >> i don't believe either one of you. at this point, i don't believe either one of you. >> moments later, she is under arrest. so, after you lock her up, you talk to her? >> yes. >> does she have any remorse? >> none at all. >> and the tears in the backseat of the police cruiser, were they for the girl she tried to have murdered? >> they were only for herself. >> and from a federal prison in west virginia, where that soccer mom is now serving ten years after pleading guilty, she is reaching out to "20/20." in an e-mail, accusing the feds of baiting her. "i was at an emotional low point in my life, and they took advantage of that." she says, "i am not, and never have been, a violent person. i was a woman destroyed by emotions, and i am paying for it dearly." but that hitman, reminding us in that car, in that supermarket

parking lot, he gave her several outs. >> i want to make sure that you know what you're getting yourself into when you want this done. >> and when you look back on that, that rookie case? >> she got, honestly, what she deserved. >> so, do you buy nicole's argument that she was set up or did she get what was coming to her? we are live tweeting tonight, so, let us know on facebook and twitter. use #abc2020. don't go away. when we come back here, the woman who was almost nicole's victim, jennifer. we have a surprise in store for her, and this time, it's a good one. you don't want to miss it. curl up with their favorite man. but here's the thing: about half of men over 40 have some degree of erectile dysfunction. well, viagra helps guys with ed get and keep an erection. and remember, you only take it when you need it. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache,

flushing, upset stomach and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. ask your doctor about viagra. verizon's ellipsis 7 tablet on their 4g lte network? you can stream stuff on the go! yeah, like at the airport. or at a coffee shop. or on a sleigh ride. that sounds like fun. let's go! get the ellipsis 7 tablet at walmart for just 97 cents, only on verizon.

"20/20" saturday continues. here again, david muir. >> murder can be hard on a relationship. the plot to kill jennifer schwab, and when she

learned it's her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend nicole faccenda who wants her dead, that's a little hard to get past. so, finally tonight, we talk to jennifer, the mother of two, who was the target of that sinister plot. turning only to "20/20." you almost paid for this with your life, this guy's got to be some incredible guy. is howie like the best thing going? >> howie's a good guy, he's a good father, he's very caring. you know, unfortunately, he got involved with nicole, and it all came down to this. >> as it turns out, even from behind bars, nicole may have gotten some of what she wanted. howie and jennifer? they're on the rocks. so, you and howie are still together? >> we are working through things for our children, for us, for our families. >> so you can't say for sure whether there's a future or not? >> i'm not sure. we're working it out.

>> and was it the death threat when you finally said, you know what, i'm not sure this is going to work? >> it was a lot of things. >> too many things have happened. >> yes. yes. >> and now you feel like you can't erase it? >> i don't know. >> but one thing jennifer does not blame on howie is the murder plot. >> howie didn't do this. howie didn't tell nicole to hire somebody to kill his family. it was all her and i can't hold howie accountable for that. >> howie turned down our invitation to do an interview, but he did tell us in a phone call that he still loves jennifer immensely and wants to stay with her forever, 100%, he told us. jennifer, meanwhile, is still looking over her shoulder. there's a moment when they're in the car and they're talking about the ways they can kill you. >> yes. >> and she says, "i don't care if she's in a horrible, horrible car accident." >> and mangled up. i don't care, like, gone. >> do those words still play out in your mind? >> all the time, all the time.

everywhere i go, i have to be worried or concerned that somebody is going to drive me off the road or somebody is going to come to my door with a silencer, as she said she wanted to. i'm scared every day. >> because you think she's still determined. >> yes, i do. >> and jennifer says she has cause for concern. nicole denies it, but agents say even after she was arrested and in jail waiting for her trial, a cellmate informed them that nicole was plotting another hit on jennifer. atf agent mike alongi was with agent angela mullins the day they pulled jennifer over, warning her of nicole's deadly plans. and he's sharing with us the plans nicole allegedly hatched, even from behind bars. >> she even said at one point that she knew her life was over, and that now she was really determined to make sure that the victim didn't get to live. and she went as far as to make arrangements with her so that the cellmate's husband, himself, could, in fact, commit the murder. >> and then our drive with the woman who was supposed to be killed. we reach the spot where that

plot was hatched. the suburban new jersey supermarket. it was a day like this and she's sitting here in the parking lot plotting your murder. >> coming here just makes me very emotional, upset, that this is where it all started, that my life was going to end. >> and you've driven past this store before? >> i have. i have, yes. >> never in your wildest imagination thinking there'd be a plot for your life here. >> no. >> and when you pulled in the parking lot? >> just a lot of emotions. just the thought that my children would be motherless. and this is where it all started. >> and for that undercover killer, the hitman we call jose, the hits keep coming. you could be on a new case tomorrow. >> yes, i can. >> or today. >> or today or after this, who knows? yeah, wherever the job takes me. >> and when you look back on that, that rookie case, are you relieved it's over?

>> yeah, i'm glad it's over. i mean, she got -- honestly -- what she deserved. >> ten years. >> ten years is a long time, but if she actually went through with the crime, you know, she could have gotten more. >> i'm going to go to the funeral. >> do you think what could have happened if those two atf agents didn't pull you over that day? >> i owe them. i owe them my life. >> so what would you say to them? they're standing right here. >> oh, my god. hi. >> how are you? what's going on? >> hi. >> thank you so much. i'm shaking right now. >> you doing okay? >> jennifer has had a lot of surprises through this ordeal, but we had arranged one last one, a much happier one. atf agents alongi and mullins, right there in that parking lot. they're the ones who pulled her

over that day and saved her. >> thank you so much, guys. oh, my god. i just -- i wouldn't be here without the two of you and i remember that day like it was yesterday. oh, my god. >> well, we're just happy that we could help out. >> thank you. >> you're here. >> i am. >> so as we stand here today, back on the supermarket parking lot, you're convinced these two saved your life? >> yes. definitely, definitely. >> we're so happy to hear that, because, you know, most of the time, you know, we take guns off the street and we go after criminals, but you know, to have someone standing right before you that, you know, lets you really feel like you did, you owe, make a difference. >> the murder for hire plot with an unexpected ending. a world of hurt ending with a hug. >> we're just glad that we were there to help you. >> thank you. thank you. i can't thank you guys enough, really. >> you being here is the best thing. it's the best thing for us.

♪ my baby drove up in a brand new cadillac.... ♪ ♪ look here, daddy, i'm never coming back..... ♪ discover the new spirit of cadillac and the best offers of the season. lease this 2015 standard collection srx for around $359 a month.

you know, those atf agents risking their lives every day in this country. and close to 30 attempts to hire a hitman every month, nearly one a day in america and those are just the ones who get caught. >> that's absolutely amazing. keep the conversation going on twitter right now. use #abc2020. i'm elizabeth vargas. >> and i'm david muir. thanks for watching. and for all of us at this special "20/20" saturday, have a great night. good night.

police crack down on protesters in the east bay. and a frightening ♪ ♪ ♪