Juan-Carlos Cruz arrested for murder plot - anyone remember his food network show?

[jujuthomas]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/15/t...

apparently tried to hire homeless people to kill someone. I do not remember his program "Calorie Commando" at all!

anyone?

[Duppie]

Who?

[dave_c]

Was "Calorie Commando" the low carb cooking show?
He looks familar, but I don't remember his shtick.

[housewolf]

Yes, that was it. It's been a few years ago, now, since he was on the Food Network, and he is no longer connected to them in any way.

[dave_c]

Okay... I was confusing him with the short Hearty Boy.

[chipman]

I believe the low carb show was with a white guy, who was a little older. The title of that show was definitely not "Calorie Commando".

[charmedgirl]

The low carb show was "Low Carb and Lovin' It." Juan Carlos Cruz's show was "Calorie Commando." They were two different shows.

[SmartCookie]

He was finally sentenced to 9 years in prison; how bizarre:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/...

[jujuthomas]

i saw that yesterday. what a sad, sad tale.

[alkapal]

"Even though I was planning on whacking her, I'm very devoted. I know that's weird," Cruz told police when he was arrested.
.........

When he was sentenced, Cruz smiled and winked at his wife in court. Her attorney, Blair Berk, declined to comment on the couple's current relationship.
......
......

Cruz, 48, a native of El Salvador, told authorities he had considered killing himself and his wife on Mother's Day because it was the most difficult holiday for her, but instead decided to hire someone else to do it.

Police said Cruz gave the men 10, $100 bills that had been cut in half and said he would provide the other halves after the killing. Police later found the remaining half-bills in Cruz's wallet.
....

Cruz was concerned that his dogs not be harmed and gave the man treats to keep the animals quiet. Cruz first discussed having his wife's throat slashed with a box cutter, the report said, but also suggested strangling her with her pantyhose to avoid a bloody mess.

He was quoted as telling the men: "If it ends up bloody, that's fine ... But I prefer not to have a mess."

~~~~~~~~~
i'm marking my calendar for nine years from his imprisonment, so that when he gets out, i can stay far, far away. that man is totally whack. his lawyer might've got him into a treatment facility with an insanity defense.

for those who worked with him at Food Network, how in the world could his personality issues not have been obvious for years? that is scary!

[eviemichael]

the wink and smile really gets me...how did she react when he did that??

[alkapal]

oh wow, i remember him! wild story!

[ccognac]

For what its worth, he is a friend of mine....I sh*t when I saw the news...I wrote a bit about it on the blog

http://www.hungrydetective.com

[dolly52]

I guess he was not the person you thought he was, killing someone is very bad but toactually plan a killing of someone you loved and married! This man's dark side overshadowed any good he had in him.

[dolly52]

I must shut my mouth, just read that Juan Carlos was trying to have his wife killed because she was despondent due to her infertility and he was going to commit suicide after that. This is one very very sad and strange story and hope these people get some help.

[jujuthomas]

Very, very sad and strange. can you post a link to that article?

[LuckyCharm]

http://www.tmz.com/2010/05/17/juan-ca...

[alkapal]

thanks for the insight!

ccognac, so you are the "hungry detective?" neat!

~~~~~
as a matter of law, the guy hasn't been convicted -- he's been accused and ***presumed*** innocent (now that's a sociological study, right there!). maybe he did it and maybe he didn't. it's a human tragedy no matter which one is the actual case.

[jujuthomas]

It's sad that he seems to have lost his way so badly. I can't imagine seeing something like that on the news and knowing the accused! what a shock for you.

[ccognac]

yea I am....Juan, I dont know...its not like him, I am not saying he did or didnt do it...but he had a big heart and I dont know what could have led to this....you are right, it is a very sad story indeed

[eviemichael]

That's crazy! I remember the show. Elie Krieger's healthy recipes outshine his by far though...

[housewolf]

Interesting! I took a pro-pastry course from him in LA in the 2001 or 2002, this was when he was losing weight. I like him and he was a good teacher. Then he got the "cut the calories" religion and did the Food Network program, which I didn't find too interesting. Never would have believed him possible of doing something like this, though! I'd love to know what the back story is.

[Alfred G]

I do. He was probably the most boring person I have ever seen on TV.

[dolly52]

I remember this guy, watched one or two of his shows. Just goes to show what losing so much weight can do to your mind>