Foley's wife becomes 4th person arrested in murder-for-hire plot: court documents

BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) — A Foley woman was arrested Friday afternoon in connection with a murder-for-hire plot, according to court documents.

Rebecca Elizabeth Murphy, 36, provided information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation from May 3 to 6 about her alleged involvement in a murder-for-hire scheme, according to FBI Special Agent Jennifer Whitehurst.

According to information Whitehurst received from Murphy, three sisters – Sandra Grimes, Judy Owen and Mitzy Smith – attempted to hire Murphy to murder Grimes' son-in-law.

Whitehurst's testimony indicates that Grimes told Murphy that her son-in-law allegedly drugged her daughter, forced her to have sex with others and molested her daughter and grandchildren. This prompted Grimes, Owen and Smith to kill him.

Whitehurst's testimony indicates the three women paid a man $10,000 to kill the son-in-law, but he fled with the money, so they turned to Murphy.

Grimes took Murphy to Marrero, Louisiana, to show Murphy where her target lived and convince her to kill.

According to Whitehurst's testimony, the three sisters wanted Murphy to inject the son-in-law with a lethal dose of heroin to make the murder appear like an overdose because he was allegedly using drugs. Ultimately, Murphy accepted the project but for more money.

Owen and Murphy made another trip to kill the man in Louisiana, but Murphy refused because they wanted her to kill him outside a local courthouse, in broad daylight, in front of multiple cameras.

Smith dropped off a box shortly after the trip to Murphy in Fairhope with a Phoenix Arms 9mm handgun. Murphy said that's when she knew the three sisters were serious about the murder-for-hire scheme.

Whitehurst's testimony indicates that Murphy made another trip to Louisiana where she stayed for about a week, but did not follow through on that plan.

In the end, Murphy did not carry out the plan and kill Mina.

Grimes, Owen and Smith were all arrested earlier this month in connection with the scheme.

However, Murphy was arrested on Friday, May 24, and is charged with conspiracy to commit murder for hire and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Grimes, Owen and Smith are charged with use of interstate commerce facilities in connection with the commission of murder for hire, conspiracy to commit murder for hire and conspiracy to commit murder for hire. transfer a firearm for use in committing a crime of violence.

All four were federally charged Wednesday.