Nevada woman prisoned for murder attempt through dark web

Nevada woman is imprisoned for masterminding a scheme to kill her former husband. She was attempting to pay a hitman with crypto.

Kristy Lynn Felkins, aged 38, will spend five years behind bars. This judgment came after she confessed to paying $5,000 using Bitcoin (BTC) to Besa Mafia. This fraudulent dark web service, which has since ceased to exist, pretended to offer murder-for-hire. She had used this service in an attempt to put out a contract on her ex-husband’s life.

Official court reports revealed that Felkins’ homicidal intentions towards her ex-husband were revealed in September 2019. An operative from the Northern California Illicit Digital Economy (NCIDE) task force purportedly obtained copies of the communication between the murder-for-hire website’s administrator and an individual utilizing the alias “KBGMKN,” as tipped off by an informant.

Detectives confirmed that the alias “KBGMKN” was used to set up an account on the website in February 2016. Initial interactions between KBGMKN and the website admin revolved around the former expressing unease about the site’s poor reputation. Nonetheless, the site’s admin managed to manipulate her into trusting the platform by providing advice on evading legal consequences.

By early March 2016, KBGMKN had transferred 12 BTC to the website, requested a hit, and expressed her preference for the assassination to appear as an accident. She also furnished the site’s admin with specific information about the target, including his residential address, work departure time, vehicle details, and possible whereabouts. The admin acknowledged the request and the transaction and disclosed that a contract killer had been enlisted.

However, as with any such murder-for-hire scenario, the admin began to string KBGMKN along with continuous justifications for the delay in execution and requests for additional funds. For instance, on March 20, 2016, the admin informed KBGMKN that a sniper would be necessary due to the target never being seen alone, and to ensure no witnesses were left, escalating the cost by an additional $4,000. KBGMKN expressed her inability to spend $9,000 on the task in response.

After a few days, the admin probed KBGMKN on her motives to assassinate the target, to which KBGMKN responded.

“This man has abused me in every possible way – mentally, physically, sexually, and emotionally. I managed to escape, only for him to take away my children. He now subjects my children to mental abuse and jeopardizes their physical safety. He’s highly manipulative and deceptive…. I can gather the additional $4000 within four to five weeks. Presently, the kids are safe at their grandparents’, away from any potential harm or involvement.”

KBGMKN statement on dark web

Following this, the admin reassured her of fulfilling the contract, with the understanding that KBGMKN would transfer the additional payment post receiving the insurance payout. KBGMKN informed the admin about her ex-husband’s travel plans, requesting the assassination to happen during his journey.

However, the admin offered several reasons why the hitman could not locate the target. KBGMKN would then provide updated location details of the target, but the contract was never fulfilled. Eventually, KBGMKN demanded proof of the hitman’s efforts to track the target, specifically a photo featuring a street sign from North Carolina with the hitman’s finger. The admin delivered a photo that KBGMKN recognized as a poorly manipulated image taken from Google Street View, featuring a digital rendering of a finger.

Through investigation, it was found that the bitcoin utilized for the murder-for-hire service was sourced from a LocalBitcoins account. The account was established in late February 2016 by “Kristy L Felkins” using an email address bearing the same name and surname. This account was also connected to a phone number linked to Felkins.

While inspecting Felkins’ email account, detectives discovered that she had used the email to post an advertisement on Craigslist. The IP address employed to generate the advertisement was identical to the one used to access the LocalBitcoins account.

Felkins was apprehended in September 2020. She was indicted on a single count of murder-for-hire. She pleaded guilty on March 17, 2022. In addition to her five-year prison term given on July 20, 2023, Felkins will also undergo supervised release for three years upon completion of her sentence.