Trial Date Nears for Two Defendants in Delaware Murder-For-Hire Case

A judge is meeting with attorneys as the trial date nears for two men charged in the murder-for-hire killings of a Delaware couple.

Tuesday’s pretrial conference involved Dominque Benson and Aaron Thompson, who are charged in the 2013 deaths of Joseph and Olga Connell.

Joseph Connell’s former business partner, Christopher Rivers, is serving life in prison for the killings.

Authorities have said Rivers wanted to collect on an insurance policy he and Connell took out on their auto repair business.

Benson was convicted last year of conspiracy, but prosecutors said they would retry him after jurors couldn’t agree on murder and gun charges against him. Thompson also is charged with murder.

A fourth man, Joshua Bey, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and was sentenced to five years in prison.