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Bedford woman sentenced in Bitcoin murder-for-hire case
Fox 4 Dallas ^ | 05/09/2024 | Shaun Rabb

Posted on 05/09/2024 1:48:55 PM PDT by DFG

A North Texas woman was sentenced to nine years in prison after using Bitcoin to pay for a murder.

Federal prosecutors said 58-year-old Michelle Murphy of Bedford used the dark web to find a hitman for her boyfriend’s lover.

"To my knowledge, it's the first time this has happened in Texas, but it's happened plenty of places all over the United States," said former U.S. attorney Richard Roper.

Investigators learned she used an ATM to convert cash to cryptocurrency at least three times and transferred about $10,500 to the hitman’s Bitcoin wallet.

The person who accepted the money tipped off the Department of Homeland Security.

"In August 2023, HSI received information from a source that an unknown suspect on the dark web sought to have intended victim […] murdered in exchange for money," reads the criminal complaint.

The dark web is part of the internet that cannot be reached through traditional search engines.

HSI's cyber crimes group went to work shining an investigative light in virtual dark places.

"They're able to pick up the trail of these criminals trying to solicit to murder somebody," said Roper.

Investigators were able to identify Murphy by following her digital footsteps.

Records reveal cryptocurrency ATMs were used three times by Murphy to convert cash to Bitcoin.

She then used that Bitcoin to murder a woman who was in a romantic relationship with her boyfriend, according to the complaint.

(Excerpt) Read more at fox4news.com ...


TOPICS: Local News
KEYWORDS: bedford; bitcoin; darkweb; hitman; murphy; texas

1 posted on 05/09/2024 1:48:55 PM PDT by DFG
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To: DFG

Most people don’t realize that Bitcoin transactions are traceable when you know the wallet number.


2 posted on 05/09/2024 1:52:41 PM PDT by Yo-Yo (Is the /Sarc tag really necessary? Pray for President Biden: Psalm 109:8)
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To: DFG

She was caught, no one was murdered.

She got nine years federal time.


3 posted on 05/09/2024 1:58:08 PM PDT by Steely Tom ([Voter Fraud] == [Civil War])
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To: DFG

Just shows how far this country has fallen when you can’t trust a hit man you hire on the dark web.


4 posted on 05/09/2024 1:58:44 PM PDT by suthener ( )
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To: Yo-Yo
Most people don’t realize that Bitcoin transactions are traceable when you know the wallet number.

The whole point of blockchain is complete transparency.

5 posted on 05/09/2024 2:05:58 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (The worst thing about censorship is █████ ██ ████ ████ ████ █ ███████ ████. FJB.)
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To: DFG

Ooooh, that evil Bitcoin. I’m surprised it didn’t kill the girlfriend itself.


6 posted on 05/09/2024 2:07:36 PM PDT by TangoLimaSierra (⭐⭐To the Left, The Truth is Right Wing Violence⭐⭐)
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To: DFG

She sounds Doge...


7 posted on 05/09/2024 2:30:09 PM PDT by Vendome (I've Gotta Be Me https://youtu.be/wH-pk2vZG2M)
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To: DFG
"She then used that Bitcoin to murder a woman who was in a romantic relationship with her boyfriend, according to the complaint."

So, is this simply incompetent reporting, or was there a murder?

8 posted on 05/09/2024 3:12:53 PM PDT by G Larry (Biden Fundraising Failure: More advertising for rotting fish is unlikely to improve sales....)
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To: suthener
Just shows how far this country has fallen when you can’t trust a hit man you hire on the dark web.

Best BOL of the day!

9 posted on 05/09/2024 3:46:27 PM PDT by Grampa Dave ((“Surrender often means wisely accommodating to what is beyond our control!” — Sylvia Boorstein.))
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To: G Larry

Do not question Skynet.


10 posted on 05/09/2024 3:50:47 PM PDT by Eagles6 (Welcome to the Matrix . Orwell's "1984" was a warning, not an instruction manual. )
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To: TangoLimaSierra
Ooooh, that evil Bitcoin. I’m surprised it didn’t kill the girlfriend itself.

Good thing she didn’t piss off “Climate Change”

11 posted on 05/10/2024 2:30:05 PM PDT by IncPen ("Inside of every progressive is a Totalitarian screaming to get out" ~ David Horowitz)
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To: DFG
There are several ways to buy bitcoin anonymously.

Those methods DO NOT include going to a public ATM that that likely records every transaction via a camera.

12 posted on 05/13/2024 1:36:27 PM PDT by GunRunner
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