Crime | Juan Carlos Cruz TV Chef: Kill My Wife, Give Treats to the Dogs Juan Carlos Cruz didn't want hit man to harm his pooches By John Johnson Posted Dec 14, 2010 1:20 PM CST Copied In this May 17, 2010, file photo Juan Carlos Cruz, a former Food Network television chef, is shown in court in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes,File) When celebrity chef Juan Carlos Cruz hired a homeless guy to kill his wife, he instructed the novice hit man not to hurt their two dogs—and even provided the man with doggie treats to give to them so they wouldn't bark, reports the Los Angeles Times. The plot by Cruz, known for his appearances on the Food Network and Discovery Channel, never came close to fruition because cops got wind of it and used the would-be hit man as an informant. Cruz is serving a 9-year sentence for attempted solicitation of murder, and newly revealed court documents show he was serious. He asked the hit man "to strangle the victim and to use pantyhose to strangle her if he wanted, and said something to the effect of, 'If it ends up bloody, that's fine ... but I prefer not to have a mess,'" the documents say. Cruz told investigators his wife was unhappy and characterized his intent as a "mercy killing." Read These Next Giuliani injured in high-speed highway crash. Iran's leaders ditched their phones. Their bodyguards didn't. Guy accused of snatching hat from boy at US Open IDed as rich CEO. A cute little fish bottle is getting the kibosh. Report an error