Minn. man allegedly tried to hire hit man to kill his wife’s lover
04/12/2023 4:05 pm PDT
LONG PRAIRIE, Minn. (TCD) -- A 38-year-old man is in custody after allegedly trying to pay an undercover agent posing as a hit man to kill his wife’s lover.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension announced charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder against Robert Thomas on Wednesday, April 12.
According to the Star Tribune, in March, an informant notified authorities that Thomas paid gang members $10,000 to kill a family member in 2021. However, the hit man didn’t carry out the shooting.
Thomas reportedly believed he would inherit "a substantial amount of money and property" after the killing, and he suspected the targeted relative was "romantically involved" with his wife.
Local law enforcement worked alongside the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and arranged to have an undercover agent meet with Thomas, WCCO-TV reports
According to WCCO, Thomas met with the undercover agent in a grocery store parking lot and said he had missed multiple opportunities to kill the family member himself.
Thomas allegedly told the undercover agent he wanted his family member "just gone," and the agent gave Thomas Easter weekend to confirm the hit. Otherwise, the shooting would take place on the Monday after Easter.
When they discussed payment, the Star Tribune reports that Thomas explained he struggled with finances after paying others to carry out the killing. He reportedly told the agent he would inherit "several assets upon the targeted family member’s death, assets that he would be able to sell for cash."
The agent allegedly asked for payment up front, and Thomas eventually offered $50,000 in installments after the killing.
According to a complaint obtained by the Star Tribune, Thomas "encouraged the undercover agent to kill the targeted family member whenever the opportunity arose over the long weekend ... and shook the purported assassin’s hand."
Thomas was booked into the Todd County Jail on Monday, April 10, and remains held on $250,000 bail. If convicted, Thomas faces up to 20 years in prison.
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