Autumn Jeanine Carianna Markley, Murder-for-Hire, Iowa 2023

A Coal Valley, Illinois woman, Autumn Jeanine Carianna Markley, 30, has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for using interstate facilities in a murder-for-hire plot.

According to public court documents, in late 2023, Markley attempted to facilitate a murder-for-hire by wiring money through a financial services application, specifically Western Union. Markley, from her residence in Colorado, contacted a confidential source who was located in the Southern District of Iowa. In the communication, Markley made numerous statements that she would pay for someone to murder one of her relatives. Markley went so far as to give the confidential source a target name, address, and downpayment for the murder-for-hire.

After completing her term of imprisonment, Markley will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Scott County Sheriff’s Office.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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