Teenage girl, boyfriend charged in murder-for-hire scheme in central Pa.
WILLIAMSPORT — A teenage girl and her boyfriend have been charged in Lycoming County in what state police have described as a murder-for-hire scheme.
Dillian Mikel Weaver, 19, of Williamsport, and Angelina Grace Peluso, 16, of Trout Run, are accused of wanting to kill her stepfather, Howard Blackburn. State police said they were angry because of his reaction to catching them in bed.
There was no killing because an individual recruited to participate went to police.
Weaver and Peluso were charged Friday with criminal solicitation to commit first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and criminal use of a communication device.
They were committed to the Lycoming County Prison in lieu of $1 million bail each.
Both have confessed, according to arrest affidavits. Those documents give the following account of the scheme:
Blackburn was angry after finding the two in bed early Thursday morning. Weaver left the Cascade Twp. home and Peluso said Blackburn slapped and punched her, according to the affidavit.
To make Weaver angry at Blackburn, she lied to her boyfriend via Snapchat and said her stepfather sexually assaulted her, which she later told police was not true, the affidavits said.
Weaver used Snapchat to vent to a female friend his anger over what he thought Blackburn had done to Peluso and said he wanted him dead but wanted someone else to kill him.
The woman, who has not been charged, responded she knew someone who could take care of Blackburn and provided Weaver contact information for that individual.
Weaver contacted that person and laid out a plan to kill Blackburn as he arrived home from work. That individual went to state police Thursday night and reported the plot that he initially thought was a joke.
The informant provided investigators a screenshot of a conversation via text between Weaver and the woman that states in part:
“He gets off work at 5:30 so we’d have to be there before him and get him as soon as he gets out of his truck before he goes inside. We need to cover our faces … they have cameras there.”
The message also states because of the cameras, the shooter should park before getting to the house.
“Just gotta take his body and dispose of him somewhere. So he’s never heard from..or found,” the message concludes
The only mention of money is the $30 the woman told the informant she could give him for gas.
The affidavits also contain the following conversation between Weaver and Peluso, taken from a screenshot:
Weaver: “Baby I need you to tell me that it’s OK if this happens to him. Like you’re OK with him dying. I need confirmation msg as soon as you can about this.”
Peluso: “Yes baby. I have zero affection for him. We’ve talked about it. I just don’t want to lose you is my concern that’s all.”
In a conversation later Thursday, according to the affidavits, Weaver tells the informant he is serious about it and adds:
“I just need him gone and no questions asked yk?”
Weaver mentions Peluso had told him Blackburn has a gun and will have it out if he feels suspicious.
The conversation between Weaver and the informant resumed Friday, with Weaver providing details on how Blackburn could be killed and reminding him not to drive by the house because of surveillance cameras, the documents state.
The informant told Weaver he would get back to him because he was waiting to hear from a buddy who has access to a gun that could be tossed.
He got back to Weaver, saying his buddy wanted to meet him in person, the affidavits state. The informant, wearing a recording device, and an undercover trooper went to Weaver’s home and he got into their vehicle.
Weaver was recorded as saying he wanted “Howie” shot and “out of the picture,” the affidavits state. He reiterated he wanted “Howie” dead as did Peluso, according to the affidavits.
The undercover trooper told Weaver he would be in contact with him after he “took care of the body,” the documents state. Weaver then was taken into custody.
Peluso told investigators it was Weaver’s idea to kill her stepfather and that she was on board with it, the charges state. She later claimed she did not mean it, she just wanted him hurt, police said.