Authorities are on the hunt for an Indiana man accused of coercing his girlfriend into committing murder against a former partner three years ago.

Back in July 2022, Cordero Cervantes, 35, and McKayla Archambeau, 25, found themselves in custody concerning the demise of 31-year-old Taylor Hawkins, which occurred the previous month, according to a CrimeOnline report.

Initially, Cervantes faced charges of evidence tampering and motor vehicle tampering. After pleading guilty, he was granted probation. However, he now faces an additional charge of second-degree murder.

Archambeau was originally charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and tampering with both a motor vehicle and physical evidence. She admitted guilt to these accusations in August and is scheduled for sentencing next week, as noted by KCTV.

The revised charges against Cervantes stem from fresh revelations provided by Archambeau. She confessed to investigators that she had been intimate with Hawkins a week before his death and claimed that Cervantes, in a fit of rage, compelled her to commit the murder.

She said that the plan had been for her to leave her gun for Cervantes, who would convince Hawkins to kill himself with it. When she didn’t leave the gun, Cervantes became angry.

According to the probable cause statement, Archambeau, who made the statements after her guilty plea, said that Cervantes looked at her with “such rage in his eyes” that she thought  “he wanted me to be the one to kill Taylor because I was the one that had slept with him and I didn’t leave the gun behind.”

She said she shot Hawkins, who began to run, and Cervantes ordered her to “finish him,” so she shot him again, this time in the back.

Another witness, who had been at the scene when Hawkins was shot but did not see the incident, told investigators that Hawkins had been paranoid Cervantes would retaliate against him because he’d slept with Archambeau.

A warrant has been issued for Cervantes’ arrest. Anyone with information should report it to the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.