Sisters tried to hire woman to inject son-in-law with lethal dose of heroin
Three Alabama sisters are accused of trying to hire a woman to inject one of their sons-in-law with a lethal dose of heroin but were open to other methods, including stabbing or shooting, as long as the job was done.
Mitzy Gaye Smith, 54, Judy Owen, 61, and Sandra Grimes, 57, face federal charges of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, conspiracy to transfer a firearm to be used in a violent crime, and use of interstate commerce facilities to commit murder for hire, according to court documents.
The plot came to light this month when a woman informed the FBI that her neighbor, Smith, and her sisters wanted the husband of Grimes’ daughter dead. The informant reported that Grimes claimed her son-in-law had assaulted Grimes’ daughter and their children and drugged her, forcing her to have sex with others.
Grimes allegedly drove with Owen to Louisiana to show their would-be killer the home of their intended target, passing by the location several times. They allegedly told the woman that their target was a drug user and they wanted her to inject him with a lethal dose of heroin. They also allegedly said they did not care if she had to slit his throat “as long as she got the job done,” according to court documents.
The sisters told the woman they had already paid a man $10,000 for the murder, but he ran off with the money. The woman agreed to the plan but demanded more money. Owen gave her $350 in cash for the heroin after she had paid for the would-be killer’s sick dog’s $500 veterinarian bill in February.
On a second trip to Louisiana, Owen allegedly wanted the woman to murder the intended target outside a courthouse where he and Grimes’ daughter had a hearing regarding child custody issues. The alleged would-be killer refused, citing the presence of too many cameras and it being daylight.
After that trip, Smith allegedly delivered a box with Christmas decorations to the woman. At the bottom of the box was a 9 mm Phoenix Arms handgun with an obliterated serial number and a magazine with three bullets. This confirmed to the woman that the sisters were serious about the scheme.
Using fake names, Grimes and the woman exchanged text messages about the plot. Grimes allegedly sent her $1,010 via Cash App for the hit and reimbursement for a hotel stay, food, and expenses in Louisiana. “U stab him in the heart at the door or shoot his a– in the heart or face,” Grimes texted the informant in one message this past March.
Dom Soto, an attorney for Smith, questioned the FBI informant’s credibility, describing her as an admitted drug user with at least five felony convictions. Court documents also noted that the informant is a felon prohibited from possessing a firearm. “There’s three sisters that are being tied together by the allegations made by a person who carries a lot of baggage as far as prior criminal history,” Soto told Mobile, Alabama’s NBC affiliate WPMI.
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