New York man admits plotting to have a romantic rival killed and body fed to pigs
A New York man has pleaded guilty to a murder-for-hire scheme in which he plotted to have a romantic rival killed and his body fed to pigs.
Jeal Sutherland of Colonie, New York, had arranged the murder of the father of a child he shared with his then-partner by agreeing to forgive a debt of the person he hired to kill his target.
The 57-year-old also paid an undercover FBI agent, who he thought was a pig farmer, to use his farm to dispose of the body of his intended victim by feeding it to the animals.
He also admitted that he hired another man to leave a threatening note stuffed in the beak of a dead Canada goose on the doorstep of his intended victim's mother.
Jeal Sutherland
However, his target was not harmed and Sutherland, who was arrested January 27 has been in custody since, according to the US Attorney's Office, Northern District of New York.
He has now entered a guilty plea after being charged with using an interstate commerce facility in a murder-for-hire scheme and will be sentenced in September
Sutherland was arrested in January following an investigation by the FBI that was launched when an informant told the agency of his plans.
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News in 90 Seconds - May 25th 2025
The informant told agents that he wanted the man, who was in prison at the time, dead when he was released January.
In exchange, Sutherland would forgive the informant of debts he had run up.
Specifically, he intended to 'dispose of the body at a hog farm in Pennsylvania,' according to a criminal file complaint.
The informant began recording conversations he had with Sutherland, during which they discussed the plans for killing the man and transporting the body.
In December, the informant told Sutherland, 'I have a van I can rent for like $250 from a nun. We take him to a farm and let the hogs eat him.'
Sutherland told the informant he didn't want to know anything about the details of the killing, but still wanted to see proof that his target was dead.
Sutherland was taken into custody by the FBI on January 27 before his intended victim was released from prison.
United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said Sutherland had 'hatched a vicious plot to kill a romantic rival and intimidate his victim's family'.
'When members of the FBI and my office learned of Sutherland's plans, they acted quickly and did not rest until Sutherland was brought to justice.'
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli added: 'Mr. Sutherland's diabolical plot intended to violently end a 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.
'The FBI will continue to work with our partners at the United States Attorney's Office to aggressively pursue and hold accountable anyone looking to commit such egregious acts of violence in our communities.'
Sutherland faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years when he is sentenced by United States District Judge Mae A. D'Agostino on September 22.
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