Houston veterinarian charged in murder-for-hire plot leaps to death from high-rise

HOUSTON -- Authorities have confirmed that a Houston veterinarian charged with attempting to orchestrate the murder of her ex-husband has leapt to her death the day before she was scheduled to appear in court. 

The Harris County district attorney’s office says 48-year-old Valerie Busick McDaniel jumped Monday from her seventh-floor condo.

A court hearing was scheduled for Tuesday for McDaniel, who was charged earlier this month with solicitation of capital murder. She had earlier posted bail.

Authorities say McDaniel and her boyfriend hired an undercover police officer posing as a hit man to kill their former partners.

Her boyfriend, 39-year-old Leon Philip Jacob, is facing charges that include solicitation of capital murder and remains in the Harris County jail.

Online jail records do not indicate an attorney to speak on his behalf.