MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — A jury has convicted an eastern Iowa man of attempted murder amid allegations that he tried to organize the murders of three witnesses from behind bars so they couldn’t testify against him. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that 38-year-old Justin Lee Dewitt, formerly of North Liberty, was convicted Tuesday of three counts. Dewitt was an inmate at the Muscatine County Jail after he was arrested in Johnson County for trying to coordinate the murders of four people, including two children. While he was incarcerated, authorities say Dewitt tried to coordinate the murders of three witnesses from his Johnson County case so they couldn’t testify.

Authorities say Dewitt spoke twice to someone he thought had a connection to a contract killer, but the contact was really an undercover law enforcement officer.