Murder for hire isn't a new concept. But it isn't every day that a conspiracy to murder young children is thwarted. That's exactly what police say happened recently in Connecticut, when a US Army Sergeant was arrested alongside his brother.
Jeremiah Peikert, 30, was arrested on May 2, 2024, for allegedly aiding his brother, Joshua Peikert, 32, in a murder-for-hire plot. A former cellmate of his brother's notified a woman about an alleged plan to kill her, her boyfriend, and her two young daughters, in 2022. This ultimately resulted in the charges against Jeremiah Peikert. Disturbingly, the children were just 10 and 1 year old.
More from CafeMom: 14-Year-Old Is Accused of Hiring Hitmen To Kill Her Mother, Who She Reportedly 'Hated'
The alleged plot was hatched in 2022.
Jeremiah Peikert was arrested by Connecticut State Police on May 2 in connection to accusations from 2022, ABC News reported. He was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit risk of injury to a minor.
His brother, Joshua Peikert, was incarcerated at the Corrigan Correctional Center in Uncasville at the time of the alleged murder-for-hire plan.
It all started when Jeremiah Peikert's brother was in prison.
Joshua Peikert was incarcerated at a correctional facility in Montville, Connecticut. There, he allegedly told an unnamed cellmate about his desire to have the potential victims killed, according to an arrest warrant, per People.
“I told Josh that I knew a few people that could have that taken care of for him,” the former unnamed cellmate said in a statement, per the warrant.
Joshua Peikert allegedly agreed to pay $10,000 per victim.
Allegedly, Joshua Peikert agreed to pay the cellmate $10,000 per victim. Joshua Peikert reportedly wrote details for the cellmate, including the victims' address, where they slept each night, and where to find a spare key.
“At no time did I have any intention of hiring a hitman or committing any violence,” the cellmate wrote in his statement. However, he did agree on a down payment of $250, sent by Jeremiah Peikert in July 2022, according to the arrest warrant.
More from CafeMom: ‘Cheer Mom’ Allegedly Hires Hitman To Kill Her MIL in Plot To Win Her Kids Back
The unnamed cellmate sent a letter to the 29-year-old woman.
Following the conversation, the cellmate says he wrote a letter to the alleged intended victim, warning her about the murder-for-hire scheme targeting her, her 23-year-old boyfriend, and her daughters, ages 10 and 1. The woman then contacted police in Groton, Connecticut. In October 2022, Connecticut State Police began its investigation.
Jeremiah Peikert confessed to making the payment to 'reluctantly' help his brother.
After a December 2023 interrogation, police say Jeremiah Peikert confessed to making the payments and to being aware the money would be used to hurt the woman. Jeremiah Peikert allegedly did not know children were part of the plan.
Thankfully, the plan was never carried out and none of the alleged intended victims were harmed.
He claimed that his brother Joshua Peikert "displayed violent tendencies, even growing up" and manipulated him, according to the arrest warrant. Currently, Joshua and Jeremiah Peikert are both being held on a $500,000 bond.
