COLUMBUS (WKOW) – A Columbus woman was charged with a homicide on Wednesday.
Kelly Harper, 37, was previously charged Filed on a complaint in the U.S. District Court. Federal law stipulates that crimes accused by complaint must be presented to a large jury for indictment.
A federal grand jury in the western district of Wisconsin says Harper used a website to rent murder on the dark internet between October 19 and December 10 and paid in Bitcoin to have someone killed.
The complaint alleged that Harper provided a description of the intended victim, details of the victim’s vehicle in which the victim worked and the victim’s cell phone number. The scheme was exposed by journalists investigating the rental murder site and they were able to warn the victim. The program was reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sun Prairie Police Department in January.
Harper was arrested on February 5 and remains in custody. Her indictment is scheduled for Tuesday, February 16.
If convicted, Harper faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
