A woman has been sentenced to over eight years in prison after her murder-for-hire plot using bitcoin fell apart. Melody Sasser attempted to use the dark web to hire a hitman to kill an Alabama resident. She paid nearly $10,000 in cryptocurrency and tried to make the murder look like an accident. Authorities discovered incriminating evidence in her home, leading to her arrest and conviction.
Knoxville Woman Sentenced for Failed Bitcoin-Fueled Murder Plot
The U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) announced on Friday that a woman from Knoxville, Tennessee, was sentenced to over eight years in prison for using bitcoin in a failed murder-for-hire plot. Melody Sasser, 48, was convicted of using cryptocurrency to hire a hitman through the dark web to kill an Alabama resident.
According to court documents, Sasser accessed a site called Online Killers Market, where she provided detailed information about the intended victim, including photos and location data. She requested the murder “seem random or accident” to avoid scrutiny and transferred nearly $10,000 in bitcoin as payment for the crime.
The plot failed, and investigators uncovered evidence during a search of Sasser’s home, which included a journal of communications with the site, references to other hitman websites, and a bitcoin address hidden under cash. The HSI noted:
Sasser was sentenced to 100 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. She has been ordered to pay over $5,000 in restitution to the victim.
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