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Change of plea hearing set for Tampa woman arrested in murder-for-hire plot

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A Tampa Bay area woman accused of attempting to hire a hitman on the dark web is expected to take a plea deal, court records show. 8 On Your Side broke the story of 50-year old DeAnna Marie Stinson in September 2021. She was arrested by Federal agents and charged for solicitation to commit a crime of violence and murder for hire. Stinson is currently in custody at the Pinellas County Jail. According to a status report filed in Federal Court, Stinson’s “case will resolve with an open plea to the court… A change of plea hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, January 19, 2022.” According to the criminal complaint, Stinson used Bitcoin to pay the supposed hitman, because she believed the cryptocurrency couldn’t be traced. Dog with swollen head, zip-tie around neck found in Brooksville An undercover officer posing at the ‘hitman’ requested she send him money to buy a firearm, but Stinson was reluctant because she worried the money could be tied back to her. Details of the plea deal have not been released. Stinson’s change of plea hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. in a Zoom hearing before U.S. Judge Amanda Arnold Sansone. A press release from the Department of Justice at the time of Stinson’s arrest notes if convicted on all counts, she could face up to 10 years in prison.
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Written by: Erik Altmann