Who Hired the Hitman?

By Abbi L. Beckford

When detectives answer a late-night call, when a whispered request is caught on a recording, when an envelope of cash slides across a table—one chilling question rises from every case: Who hired the hitman?

In this gripping, unnerving true-crime investigation, Who Hired the Hitman? pulls back the curtain on America's most shocking murder-for-hire plots—cases so surreal, so cold-blooded, that they defy belief. From spouses who plot in secret to lovers hiding their darkest intentions, from masterminds who whisper in the shadows to conspirators who never touch the crime but orchestrate every detail—this book takes you into the heart of the schemes that stunned the nation.

You will witness how a single thought becomes a deadly plan. How jealousy mutates into obsession. How greed transforms ordinary people into calculated planners. How desperation twists logic until murder feels like "the only option." And how undercover detectives—posing as hitmen—risk everything to stop a killing before the target ever knows they're in danger.

With chilling real-life examples, reconstructed moments, psychological insights, and the hidden patterns investigators uncovered across decades of cases, this book exposes the terrifying truth:
 The mastermind is not always the one holding the money—sometimes it's the one holding the motive.

Who Hired the Hitman? is more than a chronicle of crimes; it is an unflinching exploration of the fragile line between dark thought and violent action, and why murder-for-hire plots continue to shock, fascinate, and haunt America.

If you are drawn to real courtroom drama, intricate investigations, psychological twists, and the hidden motives behind real-life crimes, this is the book you've been waiting for.

 

Don't look away from the crimes that reveal what people are truly capable of.
 Unlock the secrets behind the plots, the motives, and the masterminds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abbi L. Beckford
• Release date: Dec 7, 2025
• ISBN: 9798232455583

Book preview

Who Hired the Hitman?

The Untold True Story Behind the Murder-for-Hire Cases That Shocked America

Kate Cindel

Copyright

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations used in reviews.

This book is a work of nonfiction. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

© 2025 by Kate Cindel

Disclaimer

This book is a work of narrative nonfiction based on publicly available information, investigative records, media reports, interviews, and historical documentation. While every effort has been made to present the events, timelines, and details accurately, some names, identifying characteristics, or minor details may have been changed, condensed, or reconstructed for clarity, privacy, and narrative coherence.

The author does not claim to provide legal conclusions or definitive judgments regarding any individual, case, or institution. All persons mentioned are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. Any interpretations, opinions, or perspectives expressed in this book are solely those of the author and should not be considered legal, professional, or psychological advice.

This book is not intended to encourage, glorify, or sensationalize criminal behavior. Rather, it aims to shed light on the complexity of real cases, the consequences of violent decisions, and the efforts of law enforcement to prevent harm.

Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult verified sources if seeking further information. The author and publisher disclaim any liability for errors, omissions, or any outcomes associated with the use of the information contained herein.

Table of Contents

Introduction        8

Chapter One        23

The Moment the Plot Unravels        23

Chapter Two        40

Inside the Mind of a Killer for Hire        40

Chapter Three        56

The Masterminds: Ordinary People, Deadly Plans        56

Chapter Four        76

The Business of Murder: How Murder-for-Hire Deals Are Made        76

Chapter Five        92

Undercover Operations That Saved Lives        92

Chapter Six        109

When Love Turns Lethal        109

Chapter Seven        124

Money, Power, and Motivation        124

Chapter Eight        142

The Hitmen: Criminals, Pretenders, and Police Plants        142

Chapter Nine        159

Trials That Captivated the Nation        159

Chapter Ten        175

Families Torn Apart        175

Chapter Eleven        190

The America Behind These Crimes        190

Chapter Twelve        205

The Question That Haunts Every Case        205

Introduction

According to the FBI, more than one thousand murder-for-hire investigations have been opened in the past decade—and in over eighty percent of those cases, the person targeted for death personally knew the one plotting to kill them.

It is a statistic that startles people every time they hear it. Not because murder-for-hire exists—most people accept that contract killings happen in movies, television dramas, and the distant underworld—but because of the part no one expects: the person arranging the murder is usually not a stranger, not a gangster, not a shadow in a dark alley, but someone shockingly familiar. A spouse. A lover. A coworker. A friend. Someone who once shared dinner tables, childhood secrets, bank accounts, or wedding vows. Someone who knew the victim intimately enough to plot their death with chilling calm.

That is the world this book enters—a world where violence is planned quietly, where death is negotiated like a business deal, and where betrayal is so deep it erases every moral instinct a person once had. Murder-for-hire is not simply a crime of violence. It is the crime of broken trust, twisted motives, and the cold belief that human life can be purchased, exchanged, or erased through a simple transaction.

What continues to haunt America about these cases is not only that someone wanted another person dead, but that the plan often begins in the most ordinary moments. A husband waits until his wife leaves for work, then whispers to someone he believes can handle it. A wife, furious about an affair, meets a man she thinks is a contract killer in a parking lot behind a strip mall. A business partner, drowning in debt, asks an acquaintance for help eliminating a competitor. There are no smoke-filled criminal rooms, no Hollywood crime syndicates pulling strings from the shadows. Most murder-for-hire plots start in homes with white fences, apartments in quiet suburbs, or local cafes where two people speak in low voices, convinced they are smarter than the police.

The unsettling part is how quickly these ideas turn into real plans. In interviews, many offenders admit that the thought started small—an angry fantasy, a joke, a moment of rage—but at some point, they stepped over a line. And once the line was crossed, they didn’t look back. They asked the wrong person for help. They sent a text message that could not be deleted. They made a phone call that was recorded. They met with someone who was not who they claimed to be.

For law enforcement, these cases are among the most dangerous and delicate. Detectives often say that a murder-for-hire plot is like standing on the edge of a cliff—you know someone is planning to push, but you’re racing the clock to stop the fall. Police and federal agents have learned to dismantle these crimes through undercover operations, staged crime scenes, and the strategic use of recordings. It is a world of deceptive roles, false identities, and carefully planned encounters where one mistake could allow a real murder to occur.

Consider one of the most famous tactics used across agencies: the undercover hitman. When investigators receive a credible tip that someone is seeking a killer, they often send in an officer disguised as the very thing the suspect is searching for. These meetings are staged with precision. Tiny microphones hidden in clothing. Cameras disguised in car dashboards. Officers trained to stay calm, even when the suspect describes in disturbing detail how they want the victim to die. Every word spoken is recorded. Every gesture is preserved. Every promise of payment becomes irrefutable evidence.

In many cases, the suspects appear shockingly casual—as if they were discussing a home repair, not a human life. They negotiate a price. They describe schedules. They explain locations, routines, the best time to strike. They ask if the killing can look like a robbery, an accident, or a disappearance. Some even request photos afterward as proof that the job is done. Law enforcement officers often describe these conversations as some of the most chilling moments of their careers—not because of threats shouted in anger, but because of the calm, transactional nature of people discussing murder.

If the meeting results in explicit intent to kill, officers take the next step: a staged crime scene. In many cases, detectives photograph the victim lying motionless, covered in fake blood, surrounded by convincing indicators of violence. These photos are then shown to the suspect as evidence that the hit has been carried out. The reaction often becomes the final piece of the case. Some suspects express relief. Some laugh. Some immediately discuss payment. And some, disturbingly, begin making plans for their new life now that the target is gone.

These reactions have been recorded on police cameras dating back to the early 1990s, but the technique became