A woman has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for attempting to hire a hitman on the dark web so that she could kill her ex-husband. However, the plot turned out to be a scam. Kristy Lynn Felkins, 38, expressed remorse in court, claiming that she had “lost her mind.”
In February 2016, Felkins turned to a website called Besa Mafia on the dark web, claiming that her ex-husband had abused her and their children. Desperate for help, she paid 12 bitcoins, equivalent to $5,000 at the time. She did this in the hopes of having her ex-husband killed. Little did she know that Besa Mafia was a fraudulent site that falsely offered illegal services, including murder, kidnapping, and assault.
Despite providing detailed information about her ex-husband’s whereabouts, including his home address and travel plans, nothing happened. The communication between Felkins and the website’s administrator abruptly ceased in April 2016. It was later revealed that Besa Mafia was a scam, and Felkins’ money had gone down the drain.
Despite her efforts to conceal her failed plot against her ex-husband, the communication did not remain a secret. The messages between Besa Mafia’s administrator and its users were recovered by another convict, and the information wasgiven to federal law enforcement.
Felkins expressed gratitude that the person she had interacted with turned out to be a scam artist. She claimed that she did not actually want any harm to come to her ex-husband. Her attorney, Linda Harter, revealed that Felkins had experienced sexual abuse as a child and had been subjected to abuse by her ex-husband. Despite their divorce being relatively amicable, Felkins’ mental health challenges and traumatic past were cited as contributing factors to her actions.
Gabriel Scott, Felkins’ ex-husband, expressed surprise at the murder-for-hire plot. He described Felkins as a “wonderful mother” and stated that their divorce had been as amicable as possible. However, he believed that Felkins should face prison time for her intent to end someone’s life.
Felkins has been sentenced to five years in federal prison. After this sentence, she will also experience three years of supervised release.