Pa. man charged in murder-for-hire plot to kill ex-girlfriend appears in court

A Pennsylvania man who was accused of trying to hire an old friend to help him kill his ex-girlfriend and two men she knew appeared in court on Tuesday and will be held on all charges after his bail was denied.

Eric Berkowitz, 41, of Dresher, was arrested back in February 2026 and charged with criminal solicitation of murder, attempted murder and other related offenses.

During his court appearance on Tuesday, April 21, Berkowitz repeatedly spoke with his lawyers and shook his head as prosecutors detailed the charges against him.

Berkowitz also grabbed the hand of a family member and often spoke with them to dispute the testimony of a key witness in the case.

That key witness is a man who told investigators he went to high school with Berkowitz but went years without hearing from him. The witness said that changed when Berkowitz sent him a Facebook message and asked to meet with him.

The witness told the court he thought Berkowitz had a legitimate job offer until he met him at a home in Upper Dublin. The witness said Berkowitz showed him a gun with a loaded magazine, gave him a prepaid cellphone and said they’d be traveling to upstate New York to kill three people. He was also prepared to pay the witness more than $5,000 in cash for the help, according to investigators.

A recording of a conversation Berkowitz had with the witness was played in court on Tuesday. Prosecutors said that while the details in the call were vague, Berkowitz was clear about what he wanted to happen.

“The defendant said, ‘I’m going to go up there and handle the girl myself. I’ll take care of the girl,’” Montgomery County Prosecutor Tanner Beck said.

The witness quickly called police on Feb. 10 to report Berkowitz and officers obtained an arrest warrant, investigators said. Police began to secretly watch Berkowitz who planned to carry out the murders on Feb. 12, according to investigators.

On Feb. 11, the officers spotted Berkowitz getting into an Uber, police said. The officers followed the Uber until SWAT moved in.

Police said they arrested Berkowitz and found a loaded gun as well as packed clothes inside the vehicle. They also found the address of the home of Berkowitz’s ex-girlfriend, investigators said.

During his court appearance on Tuesday, Berkowitz’s lawyers argued that there was a lack of evidence showing that their client wanted to kill anyone or that he offered to hire someone to help him. The judge still decided to hold Berkowitz on all charges.

Berkowitz’s bail was denied and he remains in custody at the Montgomery County Jail.