Pamela Gygi Pleads Guilty in Murder-for-Hire Plot

EUGENE, Ore. — Pamela Jean Gygi, 58, of Westlake, Oregon, didn’t just want her ex-husband gone. She wanted him dead — and she wanted it to look like a robbery gone wrong. On Monday, January 23, 2017, Gygi pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to using interstate commerce facilities in a murder-for-hire plot and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. She now faces up to 15 years in federal prison and three years of supervised release.

The plot began in May 2015, when Gygi sought to end a bitter property dispute and cash in on her ex-husband’s $150,000 life insurance policy. Her solution: hire a hitman. But the man she approached wasn’t a killer — he was a tipster. Instead of carrying out the hit, he crossed state lines to warn the intended victim in Saratoga Springs, Utah. The ex-husband immediately contacted law enforcement, setting off a federal investigation.

Unaware her plan had been exposed, Gygi kept moving forward. She stockpiled supplies, including a pistol, ammunition, and cash. On July 10, 2015, she drove to Springfield, Oregon, bringing with her everything the supposed hitman would need — including a vehicle to be used in the attack. An FBI video recording captured the moment she handed over the gear in a mall parking lot.

During the exchange, Gygi gave explicit instructions: make the killing look like a home invasion. As part of the cover, she told the hitman to steal her ex-husband’s rifle — a twisted touch meant to sell the ruse. She even planned her alibi, confirming with the hitman that she’d have a witness to vouch for her whereabouts. Moments after the meeting ended, she was pulled over by a Springfield police officer and taken into federal custody.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Springfield Police Department, and the Saratoga Springs, Utah, Police Department. Prosecuted by Frank R. Papagni, Jr., Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, the investigation exposed a cold, calculated attempt to profit from murder. The interstate element — the hitman’s travel and communication across state lines — triggered federal jurisdiction.

Gygi’s guilty plea marks the end of a scheme that collapsed under its own weight. Her attempt to weaponize greed and resentment failed not because of bad luck, but because the man she trusted to kill her ex chose to do the right thing. Now, she’ll face federal justice under the full weight of the law.