Oct. 14—WILKES-BARRE — A Pittston man described by a child he sexually assaulted as a "demon" pled guilty to plotting to kill a woman and two girls.

Ferdinand Cuevas-Heredia, 44, of Frothingham Street, gave up his right to a trial on multiple criminal cases by pleading guilty to three counts of criminal solicitation to commit homicide, and one count each of rape of a child, aggravated indecent assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, intimidation of witnesses or victims and other offenses.

By the time Luzerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. reviewed the six criminal informations filed against Cuevas-Heredia, he pled guilty to 25 total counts.

Cuevas-Heredia was initially arrested by Pittston police and county detectives in July 2021 on allegations he repeatedly raped a girl and forced two children and a woman to engage in sex acts with him. One of the children described Cuevas-Heredia as a "demon," court records say.

Court records say Cuevas-Heredia would often visit bars, strip clubs or his mistresses and was usually intoxicated when he sexually assaulted the children.

While jailed at the county correctional facility, Cuevas-Heredia solicited other inmates for help in finding a hit man to kill the woman and two girls he was accused of sexually assaulting.

A state police trooper in an undercover capacity acted as a hit man and accepted a $8,000 down payment, court records say.

Sklarosky ordered an evaluation of Cuevas-Heredia by the state Sexual Offender Assessment Board to determine if he meets the criteria as a violent sexual offender.

Cuevas-Heredia is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 5. He remains jailed at the county correctional facility without bail.

State Deputy Attorney General Amanda Makoid McCool prosecuted.

Attorney Evan T. L. Hughes of Philadelphia represented Cuevas-Heredia.

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