DeAnn Parkin, a mother of three from Ovid, Idaho, has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for attempting to solicit a murder through a satirical "Rent-a-Hitman" website. The sentencing occurred last Thursday in Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill’s courtroom, following Parkin's admission of guilt nearly a year after contacting the fake site.
Parkin, now 31, confessed to seeking someone to murder a woman living with her ex-husband in Wyoming. Identified only as "L.A.," Parkin accused the woman of having an affair with her husband and causing turmoil in her family due to drug abuse and alleged involvement in prostitution.
Rent-A-Hitman is a satirical website that promotes itself as the ultimate solution to targeted problems, dubbing it the "Point and Click Solution" and boasting a claim of being "100% HIPPA compliant" (Hitman Information Privacy and Protection Act of 1964) on its landing page. The site features a section dedicated to customer testimonials, showcasing comments and blurred images for anonymity. One such testimonial from Phil M. of Florida lauds the service, stating, "Guido and his public relations crew at RENT-A-HITMAN were able to resolve a five-year dispute in a matter of days. Highly recommended!"
Furthermore, the website offers various discount packages catering to different groups, including seniors, military personnel, and even Walmart associates. Notably, it extends a nod to Joseph Allen Maldonado, famously known as Joe Exotic, with an additional 10% off if customers mention "Cool Cats and Kittens.
Parkin's intentions came to light when she reportedly provided her Idaho address and phone number, along with detailed accusations against the target, in an application on the website: “I would like (the intended victim) to stay away from my husband and my family. She has helped ruin our family and broken it up with her drug abuse and her prostitution services. She has ruined her autistic son life and leaves him with strangers along w my husband to take care of him and uses her son to get my husband to come back to her and then get him more hooked on meth so she can go out and do her own thing while breaking other families lives.”
“Make her go away where she won’t ruin no one’s lives no more stops contacting my husband, give her son a better life. She has ruined my family life enough that who knows if it’s even possible to be fixed. Take her to another continent or make her disappear completely where no one hears from her again anything to make her go aways for good please and thank you.”
Upon receiving this information, the website owner promptly notified the authorities, leading to an official investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which commenced on May 23.
Subsequent exchanges between Parkin and an undercover ATF agent posing as a hitman revealed the plot details. Text messages retrieved from court documents unveiled Parkin's readiness to pay for the execution, her fear of law enforcement intervention, and her indifference to the potential consequences, even expressing a willingness to sacrifice her own life.
On May 24, the agent and Parkin spoke on the phone while the agent was secretly recording. During the discussion, Parkin reportedly stated she was “willing to do anything” regarding her problem and that she “did not care if it means her being in a six-foot hole… I’m fine with that.”
On June 6, Parkin met with the undercover agent at her workplace in Bear Lake County. During the encounter, Mrs. Parkin reportedly confirmed her resolve to proceed with the plan, expressing a disturbing lack of concern for the well-being of the intended victim and her own son.
Following this meeting, Parkin handed over $100 in cash and a diamond ring she claimed was worth $1,500, as a down payment for the hit. She also agreed to pay the remainder in installments.
U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit of the District of Idaho condemned Parkin's actions, labeling them "shocking." He emphasized law enforcement's vigilance in preventing such crimes and vowed to hold violent offenders accountable, regardless of the nature of their criminal conduct.
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