(La Porte, IN) - A La Porte man is standing trial for an alleged murder for hire plot.

Daniel Shaffer, 47, is charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder.

Authorities said Shaffer was in the La Porte County Jail in 2023 on auto theft related allegations when he tried to hire a hitman to murder the mother of his children and her new boyfriend.

His alleged plan was exposed before it could be carried out with help from undercover officers inside the jail acting on a tip.

Shaffer is standing trial in La Porte Circuit Court.

If convicted on all counts, he would face anywhere from a 20 to 40 year sentence on each of the attempted murder counts and 10 to 30 years on each conspiracy to commit murder counts.