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Graziano Plotted Slaying, Police Say

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON and MARK DOUGLAS

spthompson@tampatrib.com mdouglas@wfla.com

Published: February 27, 2009

Updated: 02/27/2009 12:34 am

ST. PETERSBURG - The tragic saga of the Graziano family took a turn toward the surreal Thursday.

Edward Graziano, whose son John was grievously injured in a 2007 car wreck with Nick Bollea, has been charged with trying to arrange the killing of his estranged wife.

Graziano, 53, was arrested Thursday morning at his home in Palm Harbor and was later led into the Pinellas County Jail in chains and shackles.

The solicitation-for-murder charge came after Graziano held several meetings with an undercover detective posing as a go-between for a hit man Graziano wanted to hire to kill Debra Graziano, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said.

This week, Graziano paid $1,100 in cash, wrote a check for $1,000 and gave a gift card for $13.06 to Westshore Pizza to have the crime committed, detectives said.

The investigation began in mid-December when the sheriff's office received a tip that Graziano wanted to arrange for the slaying of his estranged wife, detectives said. Detectives arranged for meetings between Graziano, the tipster and an undercover agent at various places, including shopping malls, a hospital and a gas station in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

During the meetings, Graziano said he wanted to have Debra Graziano killed in an automobile accident, detectives said. They said he provided his wife's schedule so the hit man could arrange the slaying and ensure Edward Graziano had an alibi, detectives said.

Authorities met with Debra Graziano and her attorney, George Tragos, to inform them of the threat.

"In mid-December they came over to us and told us that they received some information and she needed to be cautious about how she dealt with herself and her movements from thereon out," Tragos said.

"She was very scared," Tragos said. "She was really wondering how she would really live her daily life because she was already living with so much tragedy and so much pain as it is, and now the pain of the fact that her husband may be out there trying to hire someone. ... Almost too much for a person to bear."

Investigators say Graziano wanted his wife killed to solve several divorce-related financial issues, though attorneys say neither he nor Debra Graziano has filed a divorce petition in Pinellas circuit court.

The arrest comes in the middle of a civil court case that was set in motion when a guardian for John Graziano filed a lawsuit against Bollea, his mother, Linda Bollea, and his father, Hulk Hogan, the famed former wrestler whose real name is Terry Bollea.

The Graziano family says the Bollea family is liable for the wreck. On Aug. 26, 2007, Nick Bollea wrecked a Toyota Supra while racing on the streets of Clearwater, and John Graziano, who was a passenger, was left in a semiconscious state.

An Iraq war veteran, he remains at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa. His guardian is hoping to obtain millions for his care.

Since the wreck, members of the Graziano family, including Edward, have made unpleasant remarks about the Bollea family, observers say. A man identified by Edward Graziano as his estranged wife's son from a previous marriage - technically, John Graziano's half brother - is under investigation by Clearwater police after he allegedly left insulting messages on Hulk Hogan's cell phone.

"After years of disparaging comments against the Hogans, this is a classic case of karma," said attorney Kevin Hayslett, who defended Nick Bollea after Bollea was charged in the wreck.

Hayslett speculated that Edward Graziano sees himself getting a larger share of the lawsuit proceeds if his wife is dead. Some of the money is expected to go to lawyers, some is expected to go to John Graziano's care and some is expected to go to the family.

"His theory is, he thinks he's going to get 50 percent of something," Hayslett said, "but he wants 100 percent of something."

Late Thursday, Linda Bollea released a statement through her publicist: "Any threat from Ed Graziano would and is being taken very seriously. We all pray for John's recovery. This kind of behavior is why John turned to us as a loving family and we made him one of our own. God Bless John."

Graziano previously was accused of battering his wife. In 2007, he was charged with violating a restraining order after he went to the hospital where John was being treated and entered the room where his wife was, a St. Petersburg police report says.

The charge was later dropped.

Graziano is being held without bail at the Pinellas County Jail because he was on probation for a charge of battery on a law enforcement officer stemming from a 2007 incident.

Reporter Josh Poltilove contributed to this report. Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336. News Channel 8 reporter Mark Douglas can be reached at (727) 536-9603.

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