Florida landscaper, 51, pleads guilty to failed hit job against his ex-girlfriend and her family which he planned to make look like Black Lives Matter were behind
Daniel Slater, 51, admitted to hiring who he believed was a hitman to kill his 22-year-old ex-girlfriend and her sister and brother-in-law
A Florida landscaper pleaded guilty to a murder-for-hire plot to kill three people, including his ex-girlfriend, and set the crime scene up to appear as if someone from the Black Lives Matter movement was behind it.
Daniel Slater, 51, admitted to hiring what he believed to be a hitman to kill his 22-year-old ex-girlfriend and her sister and brother-in-law who he thought was responsible for ruining their relationship, the Palm Beach Post reported.
From May to June 2020, Slater met with 'hitman' who was actually an FBI informant, according to the Department of Justice.
Slater and the undercover agent discussed the logistics behind the hit, including bringing in a third person to assist.
Slater even went so far as to drive by the victim's home with the agent, instructing them on how to carry out the murders when the time came.
In one instance, Slater pointed out which of the home's windows to shoot through to kill the couple and he instructed the supposed hitman to spray-paint the house to make it appear as if members of the Black Lives Matter movement had committed the crime, the DOJ said.
Slater told the supposed hitman to spray-paint the house to make it appear as if members of the Black Lives Matter movement had committed the crime
Slater agreed that as payment for the murders, he would forgive a debt that his associate owed him and agreed to pay the fees of the third person they talked about bringing in to help.
In the end, the planned murders did not occur, and none of the intended victims were injured.
Slater, who was facing a 90-year prison term if found guilty, agreed to a plea deal where federal prosecutors agreed to drop two other murder-for-hire and three drug charges he faced.
His attorney, Richard Della Fera, admitted the evidence against his client was 'quite voluminous,' the Post reported.
Prosecutors had tape recordings of Slater explaining how his ex-girlfriend should be handled over the phone where he said 'throw acid on her face' and 'beat the s**t out of her, knock her teeth out, break her f*****g nose,' court documents revealed.
Brianne Slabaugh, 26, told police weeks before her overdose death that Slater was training her to be an assassin to 'kidnap people associated with his ex-girlfriend'
Also used as evidence against Slater was a doctored a photo the FBI used to convince the 51-year-old that the supposed hitman had killed his ex-girlfriend's sister and brother-in-law, the Post reported.
The FBI was led to Slater following the February 2020 arrest of 26-year-old Brianne Slabaugh.
She had allegedly been hired by Slater who was training her to be an assassin to 'kidnap several people associated with his ex-girlfriend.'
Her father says she'd hired a car for 'surveillance' but was arrested after failing to return it. She was found in another stolen car, with a gun.
She told police of Slater's plot. A few weeks later she was dead.
Slabaugh was found dead from an overdose in the Everglades on February 22, 2020.
After Slabaugh's death another unidentified person reached out to the FBI with a similar story which led to a confidential source for the agency to contact Slater and plan out the multiple hits as well as pretend to help him distribute cocaine, the Post reported.
Slater offered to pay the FBI source $2,500 to carry out a drive-by shooting but ultimately only paid $400, while promising more would be coming.
Slater, who now faces a single charge of murder for hire charge is scheduled to be sentenced September 16 and will likely serve a 10-year sentence.