A Florida man has been arrested after trying to hire a hitman to murder his ex-girlfriend and some of her family members killed and then pin her death on Black Lives Matter protesters, federal authorities say.
As reported by The Washington Post, Daniel Slater, 51, of Jupiter, Fla., devised a plot to have his ex-girlfriend, 22, killed along with her sister and brother-in-law, whom he said was damaging his relationship. He reportedly planned for the killer to spray paint “Black Lives Matter” at the crime scene to throw off investigators. However, the person Slater tried to hire turned out to be an undercover FBI agent.
Slater, a self-described Trump supporter, was arrested and indicted days after trying to initiate his plan.
Police reportedly began investigating Slater in February 2020 after discovering a woman dead in Everglades National Park, identified as Brianne Slabaugh, 26. Slabaugh reportedly was hired by Slater to spy on his ex-girlfriend as well as kidnap and kill “multiple individuals associated with” her, a prosecutor said during a November 2020 hearing, the Post reported.
The prosecutor said Slabaugh “couldn’t go through with the murder,” the Post reported, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
Her body was later found in the park and her death was ruled an accidental drug overdose. The investigation into her death led investigators to one of Slater’s associates, who became an FBI informant. He reportedly led Slater to the hitman, who was actually an undercover agent.
Slater also told the associate, who was wearing a wire, to spray paint the house with “Black Lives Matter” in exchange for $400. Slater was arrested and charged three days later.
Slater is scheduled to be sentenced in September. He faces 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to murder-for-hire charges.
