Dallas police officer JOHNNIE HERNANDEZ, who had been
subpoenaed to testify in the MICHAEL IRVIN drug trial, was
arrested on charges he tried to hire a hit man to kill the
Cowboys wide receiver, according to the FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM.
Allegedly, Hernandez was upset with Irvin's involvement with
ROCHELLE SMITH, whom he listed in booking records as his common-
law wife with the same address. Smith had testified before the
Dallas County grand jury that indicted Irvin on felony cocaine
and misdemeanor marijuana charges (Lewis and Hanna, FORT WORTH
STAR-TELEGRAM, 6/28). A source familiar with the investigation
told the WASHINGTON POST that Hernandez also had a connection
with one of the two women indicted along with Irvin. The source
said Hernandez passed along between $3,000-5,000 to an undercover
DEA agent to have Irvin killed (WASHINGTON POST, 6/28).
Revelations about the murder-for-hire plot could prompt a
mistrial in the Irvin case, as it will make it difficult to pick
an impartial jury from the pool already called for the trial
(Linda Campbell, FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 6/28).
