In this disturbing case, a Tennessee woman, Melody Sasser, was sentenced to over eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to hiring a hitman to murder her desired boyfriend’s fiancée.
Sasser, 48, utilized a dark web site known as the Online Killers MarketOKM to place the hit on the woman in Alabama, who was married to a retired Air Force veteran. She also faces three years of probation and must pay over $5,300 to the victim.
Federal authorities were alerted to the plot in April 2023 by a foreign law enforcement agency.
Messages from the username cattree detailed instructions to kill the woman, with Sasser asking for the murder to look like an accident or drug-related.
Sasser provided specific information, such as the victim’s location, vehicle details, and even mentioned the couple’s dogs to reassure the hitman.
Despite paying in Bitcoin and waiting for months, the murder was never carried out.
Investigators traced the payments back to Sasser and connected her to the plot through digital evidence.
Authorities also found that Sasser had been tracking the victim using a fitness app, Strava, which provided exact times and locations.
A search of Sasser’s home uncovered further incriminating evidence, including a journal with details about hitman websites and a Bitcoin address.
The case sheds light on the dangers of dark web markets and the lengths to which individuals might go to harm others.