'Vicious plot': Man planned to kill romantic rival, feed body to pigs
In what prosecutors are calling a "vicious plot to kill," a New York man is facing a decade in prison this fall in connection to a murder-for-hire plot against a romantic rival that included plans to feed the victim's body to pigs.
Jeal Sutherland, 57, pleaded guilty May 14 after being charged with using an interstate commerce facility in a murder-for-hire scheme targeting the victim, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of New York wrote in a news release.
Sutherland, of Colonie, New York, was arrested on Jan. 27 in connection to the plot, said U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III. Colonie is a village outside of Albany, the state capital.
The victim, who is from the Albany area, was not harmed, officials said.
Starting in November 2024 through January, Sutherland used his cell phone to arrange the murder of a man who is the father of a child with Sutherland's former partner, charging documents show.
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Man planned to feed victim's body to pigs, feds say
Sutherland also agreed to pay an undercover FBI agent – whom Sutherland believed to be a hog farmer – to use a local farm to dispose of the victim by having pigs eat it.
In late January 2025, Sutherland admitted he had another man put a Canadian goose carcass on the victim's mother's doorstep, the release continues. When the dead animal was found, prosecutors wrote, it had "a threatening note stuffed in its beak that had been written at Sutherland's direction."
When is Jeal Sutherland set to be sentenced?
FBI agent Craig Tremaroli said Sutherland's plot intended to violently end the man's life and intimidate his family.
'Thanks to the swift actions taken by FBI Albany and our law enforcement partners, that plan never came to fruition and Mr. Sutherland was quickly arrested and remains in custody," Tremaroli said.
In addition to incarceration, Sutherland also faces a $250,000 fine and three years of probation when he is released from prison.
As of May 21, Sutherland remained in custody.
USA TODAY has reached out to Sutherland's legal counsel.
Sentencing in the case is set for Sept. 22 before U.S. District Judge Mae A. D'Agostino.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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