Glendale Heights man close to plea deal in murder-for-hire case

A Glendale Heights man charged with soliciting the murders of three relatives after he was accused of stealing from them may avoid a trial and accept a plea deal next month, authorities said Monday.

Attorneys representing both the prosecution and Matthew Olszewski, 24, told Judge John Kinsella they hope to finalize the deal on July 21.

Court records show Olszewski was arrested July 10, 2013, on charges he stole hundreds of dollars in jewelry, tools and electronics from his home on the 1500 block of Glen Ellyn Road, where he lived with his aunt, uncle and grandfather.

Afterward, prosecutors said, he asked a fellow jail inmate about hiring a hitman to murder the three family members.

Prosecutors said the inmate went to authorities and agreed to wear a recording device during a follow-up discussion in which Olszewski "reiterated desires to have his family killed."

Olszewski later spoke to an undercover officer who posed as a hitman and told the officer he wanted his relatives dead, authorities said.

Olszewski is charged with several counts of solicitation of murder for hire and theft. He's been held on $1 million bond since his arrest and faces a maximum of 40 years in prison.