Woman tried to hire hitman on the dark web to kill boyfriend’s lover in Texas, feds say
A Texas woman was sentenced to prison after officials said she used the dark web to try to hire a hitman.
Michelle Murphy was given a 9-year prison sentence after she pleaded guilty to one count of murder-for-hire in September 2023, according to a May 9 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
In August 2023, Homeland Security investigators received a tip from a source that an unknown person, later identified as Murphy, was on the dark web attempting to hire a hitman to kill someone, according to a criminal complaint.
Murphy sent $10,510 in Bitcoin to pay for the murder, and officials were able to trace the cryptocurrency transactions back to her, the complaint said.
Investigators were also able to determine the intended target of the murder-for-hire: a romantic rival. On Aug. 11, they questioned the woman, who told officers that she was in a romantic relationship with the boyfriend of another woman, named “Michelle,” officials said.
The woman also told officials that “Michelle” recently sold her home and made over $100,000, according to the complaint.
On Sept. 21, agents saw Murphy and her boyfriend at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and escorted them to a TSA office where they were interviewed, according to officials. During the interview, Murphy admitted to paying Bitcoin in order to have the other woman killed, officials said.
Murphy’s attorney, James Lee Bright, told McClatchy News that she is a good, kind lady who had been affected by ongoing mistreatment by men in her life.
Murphy did not initially get on the dark web with intentions of hiring a hitman, but instead it was because she was dealing with mental health issues and suicidal thoughts, Bright said.
During Murphy’s case, Bright said he filed two memorandums for departure, one for aberrant behavior and another for mental health issues. He said a departure would allow a judge to adjust the standard guidelines for sentencing, in which the judge did.
Bright also requested Murphy be placed in a facility where there is a fit (female integrated treatment) program, which is to help women get mental health treatment. He said the judge did recommend that for whenever she gets located.
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