The woman reported that in the fall of 2022 Sasser had driven to Alabama unannounced and learned then the man was engaged. Sasser, the complaint states, responded to news of the impending nuptials by saying, 'I hope you both fall off a cliff and died'. — Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik
A Tennessee woman will spend more than eight years in prison after pleading guilty to using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Tennessee.
Melody Sasser, 48, of Knoxville, had been accused of using bitcoin to hire a hitman on the dark web to murder the wife of a man in Alabama she met on Match.com.
Sasser was arrested in 2023 after a Homeland Security Investigations probe by agents in Birmingham and Tennessee.
Authorities said the environmental compliance specialist paid US$9,750 (RM40,209) to have the woman killed.
The investigation began when HSI special agents in Birmingham received information from a foreign law enforcement agency that a Prattville woman – whose name, address and photograph was provided – was a target.
Sasser contacted a dark web-hosted site known as the Online Killers Market to hire the hitman.
“Sasser also requested that the killing appear 'to seem random or accident. Or plant drugs, do not want a long investigation'. In exchange for the anticipated murder of the victim, Sasser used the Internet to transmit nearly US$10,000 (RM41,240) in cryptocurrency to the would-be assassins,” a DOJ statement read.
“Ultimately, the plan was unsuccessful.”
Authorities contended Sasser provided this description:
“She recently moved in with her new husband. She works at home and in office in birmingham”
The “order” went on to say the woman worked at home and also at an office in Hoover. She described the vehicles belonging to the husband and wife, and wrote, “they have three dogs that bark and jump but nice dogs.”
HSI officials noted in the federal complaint that the information provided was “100 percent accurate.”
Federal investigators notified the Prattville Police Department and patrol officers were sent to monitor the couple’s home.
HSI investigators from Birmingham met with the “target” and told her of the threat to her life.
The intended victim identified Sasser as a possible suspect, telling investigators that her husband and Sasser were hiking friends in Tennessee prior to her husband moving to Alabama.
The woman reported that in the fall of 2022 Sasser had driven to Alabama unannounced and learned then the man was engaged. Sasser, the complaint states, responded to news of the impending nuptials by saying, “I hope you both fall off a cliff and died.”
Around that same time, the woman told authorities, her vehicle had been “keyed.” And, she had received threatening phone calls by a person using an electronic voice disguiser.
The intended victim said she and her husband used a fitness tracking app called Strava when they hike and exercise. The app is connected to their Garmin watches to share location data.
Sasser messaged the OKM site and said about the victim, “yesterday she worked from home and went for a two mile walk by herself.”
The husband of the intended victim told investigators he met Sasser on Match.com and she helped him plan an Appalachian Trial hike.
Investigators were provided Sasser’s vehicle information and license plate readers indicated she was in the vicinity of the intended victim’s workplace in Hoover a couple of times in November 2022.
Sasser reportedly paid for the “hit” with bitcoin. The federal complaint also showed that Sasser was becoming frustrated the woman had not yet been killed.
She messaged to OKM: “I have waited for 2 months and 11 days ad the job is not completed. 2 weeks ago you said it was been worked on and would be doe in a week. the job is still not done. does it need to be assigned to someone else. will it be done. what is the delay. when will it be done.”
The OKM site communicated back and forth with Sasser, who requested a new hitman, and additional payment arrangements were made.
Subpoenas showed that Sasser purchased bitcoin with cash on four occasions at a Coinhub ATM in Knoxville. The complaint states that pictures taken from the ATM surveillance cameras matched Sasser’s driver’s license photo and her Facebook profile picture. – al.com/Tribune News Service
