Christopher Pence, 41, allegedly paid hitmen in Bitcoin to execute two people in the small of Rensselaer County. The US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of New York has recently announced charges against him.
In a press release, the Attorney’s Office accused Pence “for using the Internet to solicit and pay for the murders of two individuals in Rensselaer County”.
According to a complaint filed against the accused, a confidential source — privy to Pence’s alleged actions — informed authorities on what had happened. The source told the FBI about obtaining material that could pin down the accused.
They revealed…“communications purportedly retrieved from a Darknet website accessible via TOR (The Onion Router) network depicting a user of the website paying [nearly] $16,000 worth of Bitcoin in exchange for the killing of two individuals who reside in Hoosick Falls, New York”.
Alleged communication with hitmen
The filed complaint further revealed how Pence allegedly communicated with the hitmen between July 16th and August 9th this year.
He shared personal details of his intended victims to the killers — including their “names, address, and photographs — and how he wanted the murders to take place.
The criminal complaint also disclosed how Pence directed the killers to make his intended victim’s death look more like an accident rather than murder.
”Specifically, the user advised that the killing should be made to look like an accident or botched robbery, and that, if possible, care should be taken to not harm any of the three children known to be in their care or the intended victims”.
| Name | Score | Visit | Disclaimer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 9.8 | Visitplus500.com | 82% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. |
FBI discovers a Bitcoin wallet
Amid investigations, the FBI came across the Bitcoin wallet allegedly used to upload digital currency on the Darknet site belonging to Pence.
From the criminal complaint, details of the cryptocurrency account matched those of Pence’s, including his date of birth and Social Security number. The FBI also discovered the IP address used in transacting cryptocurrency belonged to Pence.
Speaking to Pence’s intended victims — who aren’t identified in the criminal complaint to protect their privacy — the FBI learned that photographs shared by Pence matched the descriptions of his intended victims.
Interviews with the intended victims also revealed Pence had a motive to kill.
Apparently, and this is according to the filed complaint, Pence’s five children were legally adopted from the intended victim’s family. But they now wanted to regain custody of their children.
This desire to regain custody triggered “an escalating dispute between the two families”, leading Pence to plan the victim’s murder.
Pence has since admitted to the accusations of murder. If convicted, he faces ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the attorney’s office.
Contributors
