A Florida woman has been slapped with six years in jail for trying to hire a hitman on the dark web to eliminate her ex-boyfriend’s wife.
The 51-year-old woman, DeAnna Marie Stinson, of Tampa, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $12,000 in restitution and a fine.
In January this year, Stinson pleaded guilty to a single charge of murder-for-hire. Prosecutors sought a 9-year sentence, which was on the higher end of the federal sentencing guidelines.
Stinson admitted to making several transactions last summer on the website, which was not named in court, where some people go to buy illegal goods and services.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Thelwell displayed screenshots showing banner photos of a spent shell casing, a man in a hoodie brandishing a handgun, and other images.
A pricing page detailed different acts: “Death by shooting,” was listed at a minimum of $5,000, “Death by a sniper” was $20,000, and “Beating” was $2,000.
It turns out the people behind the website are scammers. However, Stinson, unaware of the scam, made several posts on the website’s forum page seeking to hire a hitman for a “quick hit in southern Florida.”
Court records showed that Stinson made a total of $12,307.61 transaction on the website. She included the intended victim’s name, address, and photo.
The FBI interviewed the intended victim after being alerted. Investigators learned of the husband’s previous relationship with Stinson.
An undercover agent posed as a hitman and contacted Stinson in August 2021. Stinson said she had been watching the couple in a recorded phone call between her and the undercover agent that was played in court. The agent said he would make it look like a robbery and sought assurances that Stinson wanted to go through with it. She did not back out.
He told her to “act surprised” when she found out.
“Don’t do anything different,” the agent said. “She’ll be dead within two weeks.”
