A chilling crime has come to light in southwestern Missouri as an Illinois man admitted to trying to arrange the murder of a business associate in Florida.
Ben Patrick Mullavey, 66, of Mechanicsburg, in Sangamon County, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one felony count of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of attempted murder-for-hire.
According to court documents, Mullavey offered a former employee cash to commit the murder on January 3, 2024, at a McDonald’s restaurant in Missouri.
The employee drove to Mullavey’s house on January 11, 2024, and helped him with construction work over the next three days as they discussed the murder in detail.
Mullavey had been planning the murder for months, conducting surveillance of the victim in Florida and even stealing a Florida license plate in preparation for the hit.
He suggested the best time and place to commit the murder and how to avoid being identified on surveillance cameras. He also discussed several possible ways of disposing of the victim’s body, including using lime to dissolve it.
Many of the conversations were audio and video recorded, providing a damning trail of evidence against Mullavey.
Mullavey is scheduled to be sentenced on July 22. The attempted murder-for-hire charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
The FBI investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton is prosecuting the case.
Related Federal Cases
- Benjamin Andres Ovalle-Taibo, Conspiracy to Commit Theft, Missouri 2023 · New York
- Jeff Sessions, Violent Crime Speech, Missouri 2017 · Oklahoma
- Mosley Jumon Williams, Kidnapping, Missouri 2019 · Illinois
- Edward Hardin, Machine Gun Sales Conspiracy, Missouri 2023 · Indiana
- Keith Ray Seabaugh, Firearms Offense, Missouri 2005 · Kansas
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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