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Folks, I absolutely love Thrive market. For just $5 a month, you get access to a curated selection of organic and non GMO brands. They have over 90 dietary filters, weekly sales, free gifts. It's one annual fee with priceless peace of mind. And my wife and I have found so many good things on Thrive Market that have just become staples. I love the good crisp company crisps, the original, the sour cream, that's one of my go to snacks. My wife loves the Smash Foods fruit spreads. They come in a variety, but it's all better for you than what you would find at your local grocery store. Thrive Market restricts over a thousand ingredients so you don't have to stress over labels and you don't have to go to Google to look up every additive. They also have an in app barcode scanner which finds a healthier swap for almost anything that's in your pantry right now. And at $5 a month, the membership pays for itself. Most members make that back in their first two orders. Member pricing is up to 30% off. They have weekly sales, free gifts and free delivery on qualifying orders. Ready to do your own spring reset? Join Thrive Market with our link thrivemarket.com tcatt for 20% off your first three orders, plus you'll receive a free $60 gift. Hello, everyone, and welcome to episode 487 of the True Crime all the Time podcast. Yeah, I'm Mike Ferguson and with me, as always, is my partner in True crime, Mike Gibson. Gibby, how are you?
B
I'm doing good. How about you?
A
I'm doing great.
B
Yeah.
A
My wife is on spring break.
B
She is.
A
I probably shouldn't say that after I just said I'm doing great because I'll be honest, that would make her mad.
B
You are having the time of your life.
A
No, but she's. She's having fun, hopefully. And it's been, you know, me and the dogs.
B
Yeah, she's having fun too. Don't. Don't think she's not.
A
I hope she is. You know something? I don't probably say enough. You know, if you like the content, make sure you hit the like button.
B
Yeah.
A
Subscribe to the channel. All of that good stuff. I know they always say that on YouTube videos.
B
Well, it's important.
A
It is, you know, but we also put this out on, like our regular podcast feed. So I don't think to say it all that.
B
But that's okay. If you're listening to regular podcasts, then go out to Apple and like, oh, yeah, do it.
A
Do it there as well.
B
Yeah, you know, it all helps.
A
It does. All right, buddy, are you ready to get into this episode of True Crime all the time?
B
I am ready.
A
We're talking about Rent a Hitman.
B
Okay.
A
This is a little bit different type of episode than what we normally do.
B
You didn't tell me you're going to pull me into this with my personal stuff.
A
No, I think there are going to be some real life examples here of maybe weaving you in. But in 2005, Bob Ennis, he purchased this domain. Right. Rentahitman.com sounds like something you would do.
B
Yeah.
A
Just buy a domain. But now, 20 years later, he believes that he saved over a hundred lives. Wow. By working with authorities to apprehend people who attempt to use his site to get a hitman to solicit murder. So it's, it's a wild story. And one I, I came across. I never heard of it before. Yeah. You know, it's a parody site. It's not a real site.
B
Right.
A
It's a parody site that has received all of these inquiries over this 20 year span or so I said the owner of the site, this guy named Bob Ennis, he bought the domain name in October 2005 for $9 and 20 cents.
B
Oh, wow, man.
A
And let's face it, I mean, a lot of domain names over the years, it not expensive. Yeah. Now if you want to buy one that's somebody already has or something like that, they can get very pricey.
B
Sure.
A
But a lot of people just buy them and hold on to them in the hopes that somebody will want it later on.
B
Yeah.
A
And then they can flip it. Almost like flipping a house.
B
You're. It's like a. What's that called? Your head. Your bet. It's hedging your head. Yeah.
A
I don't think that's what this is, but no, I'm not sure what you're trying to say.
B
I can't think of the. Of the term.
A
Okay.
B
Yeah, it's okay.
A
It's a good pod, though. Yeah, it really is. So at the time that this all happened, he was in business school.
B
Yeah.
A
And he was trying to advertise like a website traffic analyst type service.
B
Okay.
A
And so the word hit in hitman or the part of hitman was kind of like a play on words.
B
Okay.
A
Hit as in traffic.
B
Yeah.
A
Website hit.
B
Got it. Right.
A
So that's why he bought it. Not because he was going to be a hitman or thought that was cool or anything like that. It. And he has said he had no idea that he'd be involved in hundreds of cases of people really trying to hire a hitman.
B
Well, and I don't know, I'm just thinking out loud right now. Do you.
A
Which is different from what you normally do how.
B
Yeah, but if you were going to hire a hitman, would you go out to such an obvious site?
A
You wouldn't think so, right?
B
Yeah.
A
So he's in business school, he's got this plan now, it didn't work out. Right. His business plan. And he tried to put it up for auction, the domain name, but he didn't receive any offers. And then he graduated from school and the buddies who worked with him on the site, they kind of went on. You know how people do find full time jobs and people just go on with their lives.
B
Yeah.
A
But he held on to this domain name in the hopes that, you know, one day somebody might buy it, but no one ever did.
B
Yeah.
A
Like I said, when I bought True Crime all the time it wasn't expensive. Now there's a fee I think to keep it or.
B
Right.
A
You know, extended. But it's not that expensive either. But no one wanted to buy this domain. And it's not surprising. Maybe you would. Somebody like you, maybe who actually does that type of work. Allegedly.
B
Yeah, I did buy True Crime al
A
the time without one of the L's.
B
Yeah, yeah.
A
Just in case to it and.
B
But clearly I didn't spell it right.
A
But you know, years go by. And then in 2008, just kind of out of sheer curiosity, he decided to check the inbox because I guess there was a, you know, an email associated with the, the domain name. And he found like 300 emails that had just been sitting there crazy. And in some of these emails were like serious inquiries on finding a hitman. Wow. I mean you couldn't make this up. No, really couldn't. And so what he did is he decided to turn the site into this, a parody site.
B
Right.
A
With some clues on the site that it's not real.
B
Yeah.
A
So there was one example, like if you click on a banner, which a lot of websites have, and it takes you to like this FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.
B
Okay.
A
There's also like fake testimonials, customer service awards, which what Hitman would have customer service awards.
B
We won the J.D.
A
power Award for best best Hitman, Best customer service in the hitman industry. And the front page of the website includes this message. The dark web is not safe, but we are. It's common knowledge that the dark and deep webs are not safe marketplaces for carrying out nefarious deeds. These Sites are often fraught with potential risks, including viruses, and fraud is rampant. There's no guarantee of privacy, and your information could be leaked to less than reputable websites, including law enforcement agencies.
B
And.
A
And that's no fun.
B
Okay, so upfront disclosure there.
A
Yeah. So, I mean, you have to kind of listen to this and imagine that you are someone who wants to hire a hitman. Yeah. And you're visiting this site, you're reading this. It's right on the front page. It goes on to say, the good news is that Rent a Hitman is a safe and secure option that's easily accessible on the worldwide web.
B
Oh.
A
We place great importance on maintaining the confidentiality of our clients and ensuring their privacy is protected under HIPAA. The Hitman Information Privacy and Protection act of 1964.
B
I love it.
A
So it's HIPAA. H I, P, P A. Yeah. In contrast, our competitors websites can't make the same claims and their credibility is questionable at best. So when it comes to your safety and peace of mind, choose Rena Hitman.
B
Yeah.
A
And he. He signs it, capiche? Like, Like a the Godfather, Right? Or something like that. So, I mean, let's be honest, right? Anybody reading that, you gotta pick up that. It's not serious.
B
You should be able to pick it up.
A
Yeah. Now, as I've said many, many times. Right. A lot of criminals are not smart.
B
Yeah.
A
Many of them are, but a lot are not. I think you would have to be either oblivious to the information, meaning you're not reading it and who wouldn't read the whole thing, Right. Or you just are of below average intelligence. Or maybe way below.
B
Yeah.
A
So in 2010, he received a message from a British woman named Helen Kaplan. She claimed that she was stranded in Canada with no passport. She wanted three family members in the UK killed for preventing her from receiving her father's inheritance.
B
Interesting.
A
So, first of all, you know, you. You have this stuff that we just mentioned, Right?
B
Right.
A
Which kind of clues you into? Hey, something's not right here. This might not be legitimate. The other big thing is it's not like this is on the. The dark web. I mean, this is literally www.right.
B
world Wide Web.
A
Yeah, I. We talked about the dark web many times. I don't know how to get on there. I don't want to know. I'm scared of what would happen. You know, I'm really worried about cyber security anyway.
B
That's right.
A
And so I would never want to go on there and open myself up. It's one click for you, right?
B
Yep.
A
But that's the other thing in your mind, if you want to hire Hitman, if your mind has gone to that place, which it should never do, but obviously for some people, it does.
B
It does.
A
For whatever reason, do you legitimately think that you're going to be able to find one just on a regular website, the same way you would go on Amazon or buy a shirt or whatever it is?
B
If you have common sense, you shouldn't think that, but I don't. I.
A
So this woman. Yeah, people surprised me too. But this woman wanted three people killed, right? Three members of her family. He didn't respond, but she sent a second email that in this one, she included names, addresses, and other corroborating information. So I think he took that very. He took it more seriously. Right. Yeah, it's. It's more than just, hey, I'm looking to have three members killed. Okay. Now here's their names, other information.
B
This person's might be really serious, stepping up her game.
A
Yeah. So he felt compelled to act at that point. He responded to Helen writing, do you still require our assistance? We can place you in contact with a field operative. And, you know, obviously we're going to get into what this guy does over the years. But it reminds me a little bit of, you know, there's people who work in the capacity of trying to find some of the child predators. Children, you know, people who are in chat rooms pretending to be children so that they can get some of these other people who are trying to prey on children off the streets. But within hours of him responding, he had her real name, legal name, her location, phone number. So, yeah, I think at that point, as he has stated, he. He felt like this is real and pretty legit. He's got some people who are in danger. Yeah, her family members are in danger. Because if he doesn't do it right, or he's not real, what are the chances that she's gonna stop?
B
Yeah, she'll find somebody. Yeah.
A
She's probably just gonna go on to try something else. Right. So he reached out to a friend who was a police sergeant who contacted the Canadian authorities, and it turned out that this woman was actually wanted in the UK on some extraditable warrants for pretty serious charges. Yeah, already. And she served four months in prison. Helen did. For soliciting to commit murder before she was sent back to. To Britain.
B
I mean, it's good, but I feel like it's four months. Is that it? Okay. I mean, well, you could end up killing some people.
A
What? But remember, she was wanted on Very serious charges.
B
Yeah.
A
Britain. So she's, it's not like they were just letting her go.
B
Yeah. She was going to be locked down on some other stuff.
A
Yeah. She was being extradited. So I think she was just incarcerated for four months in Canada while they were probably figuring out all the, you know, how everything would go down. But. So he did this. Bob did. Then he kind of returned to, you know, his normal life. He had said in, in different sources that he never planned on kind of becoming this part time detective. Yeah. But that's really what he became.
B
Yeah. It's like, kind of like catfishing, but in a, in a different way.
A
Yeah. And fascinating to me. He told The Guardian In 2021, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not really a murder for hire type of guy. I'm more of a save a life type who just happened to be in this position by way of a fluke. And it was kind of a fluky thing, right.
B
Yeah.
A
He bought this website that he thought was a kind of an interesting play on words and turns out that he's getting real requests for, you know, someone to kill people.
B
Yeah.
A
So he kept the site up and despite all the clues that he put on there.
B
Right.
A
The things we read, I'm sure he maybe even tweaked it.
B
Yeah.
A
I don't know how, but he probably tweaked it over the years. Kind of cluing people in that this is not a real thing. These inquiries, they just kept coming in.
B
It's like people were zoned in to just like sending the, sending him the request and not paying attention to all the stuff that would have told you this is not real.
A
Yeah. And I just wonder if that goes to people's mindsets. Right. They, they've gotten to that point where they've made the decision that they want somebody killed.
B
Yeah.
A
Is it like nothing's going to stop them? It's all they're thinking about. So is that why. Maybe they're looking past, you know, some of these other things? Maybe.
B
I don't know what kind of hoping that's the reason. Yeah.
A
In February 2018, 20 year old Virginia resident Devon Faber used the site to attempt to hire someone to kill his ex girlfriend and her parents, who he blamed for their breakup. He then planned to kidnap his ex's 3 year old daughter to raise her. I mean, imagine the weight that you would feel if you're this guy Bob.
B
Oh man. Surprised he didn't open up another cycle.
A
Renakidnapper.com I just, I can't imagine what type of heaviness that would be. Yeah. Reading through these and thinking, I think these are real.
B
Yeah.
A
You know, so he reached out, he contacted the Augusta County Sheriff's Office, and they had an investigator pose as a hitman and start to communicate with this father guy. Faber told the investigator over the phone, I could be a really good father to her. He's talking about his girlfriend's daughter, but I need those three people taken out before I can do anything.
B
Okay.
A
You know, I talk about a lot of the videos that I watch on YouTube. I, I, I have a tendency to really kind of get caught up in watching videos, and I like some of the, the police pullover videos where people freak out and things like that. But you know what are really interesting videos are the undercover ones where people are caught thinking that they are hiring a hitman.
B
Right.
A
A lot of times they happen inside a car. They've got the car wired for both video and, and audio, and people think they're sitting there talking to a hitman and they're really talking to a undercover police officer.
B
The officer's just waiting for that money exchange.
A
Yeah, those are fascinating to me. And that's essentially what's happened. Happening here is happening over the phone. But in this case, money was never exchanged because he couldn't come up with any funds. He was arrested, though, on February 12, 2018. Hey, folks, if you're looking for a better way to bank, you got to check out Chime. They're changing the way people bank. It's smarter banking built for you, and it's fee free. Forget about the old school banking ways that charge you overdraft and monthly fees. Chime has smarter banking products for everyday people, like MyPay, which gives you access to up to $500 of your paycheck anytime, and getting paid up to two days early, which, with direct deposit, there's no overdraft fees, no minimum balance fees, and no monthly fees. You can also earn up to 3% APY on savings. That's seven times higher than a traditional bank. And it's rated five stars by us today for customer service. They have real humans 24 7. And my younger self would have benefited so much from Chon. I remember in my 20s getting hit with what seemed to be a mountain of banking fees. With Chime, you don't have that. Chime is not just smarter banking. It's the most rewarding way to bank. Join the millions who are already banking fee free. Today. It just takes a few minutes to sign up. Head to chime.com tcat that's chime.com tcatt Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services A secured Chime Visa credit card and MyPay line of credit provided by the Bancor Bank NA or Stri Bank NA. MyPay eligibility requirements apply and credit limit ranges $20 to $500. Optional services and products may have fees or charges. See chime.com feesinfo advertised annual percentage yield with Chime+ status only. Otherwise, 1.00% APY applies. No min balance required. CHIME card payment history may have a positive impact on your credit score. Results may vary. See chime.com for details and applicable terms. A jail informant later testified that Faber told him he was only going to get probation and he planned on kidnapping the child once he was released. Okay, again, shut the, you know, what up. I. I mean, I don't want them to because we want them to get caught. But it's just like, how dumb are these people?
B
Pretty dumb.
A
And in a lot of instances, it's a good thing. Right? Because if what he's saying is correct and you kind of have to take him at his word. Right on. Something like that. Once he gets out, he's going to do it. And maybe that means he's going to kill some people too, or he's just going to kidnap this girl, but either way, it's going to be a pretty horrific crime.
B
He can never be part of the Italian Job crew.
A
Well. Because he can't keep his mouth shut.
B
Yeah.
A
Another former inmate said Fobber was remorseful and regretted his actions. So, all right, he's telling people different things. Maybe. A competency evaluation noted that Faber's brain didn't develop normally, which disrupted his development and language skills. His mother testified that he grew up with a. With learning and behavioral issues and was an outcast growing up. Up.
B
So was I. Yeah, but you've been
A
pretty honest about some of your difficulties growing up. But look at you now.
B
That's right. Still, that's all I'm saying.
A
He got on the stand and admitted to stating he would kidnap his ex girlfriend's daughter for least. And he added, I say stuff out of my mouth I don't mean to say. Sounds like something you would say and then I would say. As opposed to what? Saying out of your ass or, you know, or whatever.
B
Exactly. Exactly.
A
But, you know, it sounds to me like he did have some, maybe some, you know, learning difficulties. His IQ was probably on the low side. He pleaded guilty to two counts of solicitation to commit first degree murder. And in 2019, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison with 10 years suspended. So, okay, you know, he essentially got 10 years, and part of that he'd probably already served anyway.
B
Yeah.
A
The one thing that, that jumps out at me is that, you know, obviously there was a reason for them to ask for a competency evaluation, and you can kind of understand why. But he was convicted and sentenced, so it didn't actually say the results of the. The competency evaluation, but you can kind of infer from what happened.
B
I mean, 10 years is not bad.
A
I mean, yeah, he didn't actually kill somebody, but it's a serious crime.
B
It is a serious crime.
A
Solicitation to murder. So then we transition to a Michigan woman named Wendy Wein. She used the site to try to hire a hitman to kill her ex husband. In the summer of 2020, Wayne filled out a service request form on the site, which Bob ennis added in 2014. Like I said, you know, he's. I don't want to say having fun, because it's not the right word.
B
Yeah.
A
But obviously he's tweaking the site as the years go by. This form requires users to give their name, email, phone number, and the same informations for their target.
B
Okay.
A
And now she used a fake name when she filled out the. The form, but she did include other personal identifying information.
B
Yeah.
A
She also gave her ex husband's address, workplace, and work schedule. So not that hard, right, to figure out who. Who she is if you're doing just a little bit of digging. So he ends up reporting her to the Michigan State Police. An undercover detective contacted Wendy on July 17, 2020, and he made an arrangement to meet at her at a cafe later that day. She believed that she was meeting an operative from Rent. A hitman.
B
It'd be funny if they showed up with like, a rent a hitman shirt on and handing her a shirt too. Like, here's your free shirt for using the site.
A
I. I know it's not funny. This is a very serious thing. But in a way, it is kind of humorous to think about what he's able to get these people to do.
B
Yeah. Because you would think maybe if it didn't click in their head at first, as right before they hit that enter button, they'd be like, you know what? This seems too.
A
Yeah, this don't seem right.
B
Yeah.
A
So the detective got into the passenger seat of her vehicle. You know, they started talking. She accused her ex husband of being a pedophile. She described him in detail. She gave this guy his address, place of employment, and the times he left for work and got home okay.
B
So detailed.
A
Yeah, I mean, the details, I guess, that a hitman would need. She also gave the detective a down payment of $200 and agreed to pay 5,000 when the job was done.
B
Just got to put 200 down today in the balance at the time of completion.
A
And that seems unbelievable, right? 200 bucks and mean $5,000 to kill somebody. I mean, people have killed for a lot less. We've talked about it on our episode.
B
The only thing would make it more funny if, funnier is if they, you know, or finances for you, you know,
A
pay $133 a month or something like that. So the detective filed a report and Ween was arrested. Days later, on November 12, 2021, she pleaded guilty to solicitation of murder and using a computer to commit a crime. Oh yeah, yeah, they got mail fraud, I guess you got computer crime, wire fraud, wire fraud. There's all kinds of different ones. In January of 2022, she was sentenced to seven to 20 years in prison.
B
Well, again, it fits the crime.
A
It does. It really does. I mean, you could make an argument for longer, but. And you know, you go back to the $200, right. If you're the fake hitman, if you're the detective, you don't care how much it is. I don't think, I don't think it matters.
B
Nope.
A
Any amount of money as a down payment, like you said, the exchange of cash is really what kind of seals the person's fate.
B
I'm just wondering, you know, now that when she's sitting in prison, they're like, so what'd you get trouble for? And she, she tells her story, you know what I mean?
A
There's no way she tells the whole thing.
B
Yeah, she's got it. She probably makes a different story.
A
Well, she could, she could go with the hitman angle. She's got to leave the website, the rent, a hitman, all of that, all that out, out of it. Because, you know, she had to learn at some point.
B
Yeah.
A
That that's how she was caught. In the spring of 2022, 31 year old Leif Hayman was living in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Court documents indicated that he lived with a state deported guardian because of intellectual disabilities. He was in a long term relationship and planning to get married. But he wanted his mother or his girlfriend's mother killed first. So he visited rentahitman.com between April and May Heyman repeatedly. Solicited a hitman to murder his girlfriend's mother who had no idea that this guy was plotting her death.
B
So he wanted to take out his mother in law. His few.
A
Yeah.
B
Who?
A
The woman who would become his mother in law.
B
Really?
A
I mean, okay, again, not a laughing matter, but it's not. You know, how many guys have not at some point thought about it? I'm not saying I have. I love my mother in law.
B
You do? Yeah. I'm sure there has been wives that have thought about what if their, their mother in law would.
A
Oh, yeah, yeah. You know, hey, people don't always get along with their in laws. That's, that's just.
B
It's the mother in law gets the bad rap.
A
Yeah. Because there's a lot of mother in law jokes and.
B
Yeah.
A
And things like that. But, but, you know, are we seeing a pattern here? There's at least a couple of individuals we've talked about who have intellectual, you know, disabilities. Maybe that, that played a role. But I mean, they still are trying to do something very criminal.
B
They are, but I mean, you almost have to think that that's going to be the, like, I don't want to say root cause, but you know, that's, that's one of the main reasons is because they, they do have that issue.
A
It could be, I. I don't know. It also could be the reason why they think it's okay to try to hire a hitman on the, this website. That may have something to do with it. Between April and May, like I said, he. He did it a number of times, sent through these requests. He submitted three service requests on the site, and he provided his own identifying information, details about his intended victim, Even included her address in some photographs.
B
Okay. He was very detailed.
A
Very detailed. In his first request on April 10, he said he wanted to hurt his victim. He didn't say when to kill, which is strange if you're on rena.hitman.com.
B
yeah, it's like, what, did he get a little soft while he was typing this out? Like maybe this is not killer. This. Can you like bust a kneecap here or there or something?
A
Or maybe because of some of his, you know, intellectual challenges, maybe he's grasping for the right word, you know, I, I don't know. Yeah, but along with the photos of the victim and her address, he wrote, this is the target person. If you don't do it, I'll do it myself. I want her gone now. Too much that I don't like about her, and she's controlling my wife. So, I mean, there's a couple of things there that make you think. I think if you're Bob. That this guy is serious, because I'm sure there was a bunch of stuff that he probably had to weed out over the years. Number one is what he sent that. That, you know, has to give you pause. And then, secondly, if you don't do it, I'll do it myself.
B
Yeah.
A
You know, that's. That seems pretty serious to me. He referred to the victim's daughter as his wife, but they weren't married at the time. However, investigators did find a website on the not showing they were engaged. The Not Knot.
B
Yeah.
A
Never heard.
B
Pretty popular site, is it? Yeah.
A
Never heard of it.
B
A lot of people that get married go out there, I think, register or put their wedding out there, and it kind of. I think it kind of walks him through of the whole event. Yeah.
A
Funny. Not funny, but interesting, I guess. You know, when I got married, the Internet was barely a thing. It had literally been around for just a few years.
B
Yeah.
A
That's how long I've been married.
B
You had a better chance of just going out and getting married and come back. And the screen would still be loading.
A
Oh, yeah. Like a picture. If you wanted to download a picture, that's probably how long it would take.
B
It took forever, man.
A
At the time to get married.
B
Porn was terrible back then.
A
He submitted additional requests on April 17 and April 20 under different aliases, expressing his desire to have the victim killed. So, again, I think the multiple requests.
B
Yeah.
A
Has got to give you pause, especially, you know, if you're Bob and you're trying to weigh, you know, how serious are these things?
B
Seems pretty serious.
A
Yeah, I would say absolutely. As part of his requests, he wrote, kill that. And I hate her so much. I want her gone now.
B
Wow. Really angry. Yeah.
A
He's really kind of expressing his level of hatred.
B
Yeah.
A
Towards this woman.
B
Kind of nervous. With some of these emails that he gets. You know, as you're reading them, I mean, I think at first you're probably shaking your head, like, what is wrong with these people? And then I think at one point you probably. Like, it's got to make you kind of sick, too. Like, this is the thought process that these folks have. They are being sincere.
A
Yeah. And. And they're serious about it.
B
Yeah. For sure. Yeah.
A
And the number.
B
Yeah.
A
So at one point, it seems as though Heyman started to suspect that the site was fake.
B
Yeah.
A
Which, again, I don't know how somebody wouldn't. But on April 28, you wrote, you people are fake. If you were real, someone would have contacted me already. I can't wait anymore. I'm doing it myself. Thank you for nothing, fake people. So again, he's getting tired of waiting. He's saying, he's not hinting, he's saying, I'm going to do it myself. So you know, Bob Ford's, his solicitations, all his email to local police. But he didn't get back a timely response which resulted in the ATF's involvement, per the US Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico. And I, you gotta wonder if you're a police agency and you get forwarded this information, did they just think it was bogus?
B
Right.
A
Because I mean, some of this stuff sounds very serious, of course, if you kind of take it in its entirety. So it's strange that they didn't do anything to it or do anything with it. On May 5, an undercover ATF agent contacted Heyman, writing, are you still interested in my services?
B
Yeah.
A
So it's, there's a pattern here, right? It's Bob's website. He's kind of monitoring the inbox. And again, like I said, I'm sure he's weeding out some of these and trying to gauge which ones are real and which ones aren't. But then at some point he has to forward this information on to the local authorities or some authorities. Haman responded by saying, yes. And during a 16 minute recorded conversation, he said, I hate her mom with a passion. She deserves to die. He said he wanted the victim gone off the earth. He also told this undercover agent, that fucking bitch deserves to die.
B
He really didn't like his future mother in law.
A
No. And he's very loose with the F word.
B
Yeah.
A
You know, when he was informed that the fastest and cleanest way to carry out the murder would be with a gun, he responded by saying, yes, let's go for it.
B
Let's do this thing.
A
I mean, that's what somebody might say. You know, they're pitching you maybe new windows or something and you're like, okay, yeah, let's go for it, let's do it.
B
Let's do this thing.
A
Not do you want to have somebody murdered.
B
Right.
A
That seems like such a strange response. After learning that he would have to pay for the gun, Heyman explored other options, saying, I have knives, I have a rock that you can smash your head with multiple times.
B
I can use the rock because that way it doesn't cost me any money.
A
And, well, first of all, how much is he thinking that this Murder for hire is going to cost if he's unwilling to shell out for a gun. Yeah, you know, what are guns? They run anywhere from $200 at the cheapest. You know, obviously thousands and thousands. But most guns, entry level guns, are four or five hundred bucks. Yeah, I mean, I'm not saying that people should buy one for their hitman. I'm just saying what was his budget for this operation? Yeah, it's kind of what I was thinking.
B
He was pretty cheap.
A
Well, to the. Yeah, to the point where he's exploring other options. I can give you a knife or I have a rock. I don't think a lot of hitmans operate with rocks, but I need it
B
back because it's my pet rock.
A
It's my favorite rock, I guess. On May 9, Heyman had another call with the agent, indicating his caretaker would also need to be harmed for him to leave home to attend the hit. So what was really kind of unbelievable is that Haymon seemed to be under the impression that all of this was going to be free. Which maybe explains why he was hesitant to come out for the gun. Yeah, he didn't think he was gonna have to pay for this.
B
Right.
A
But he eventually agreed to pay $200.
B
Okay.
A
For the murder.
B
If I gotta pay. Okay, I'll do the 200.
A
First of all, who in the world believes that you're getting someone to murder someone for $200? Now, again, let's keep in mind this guy has, you know, intellectual limitations.
B
Yeah.
A
So, I mean, that plays a factor. But he is still going through all of these motions to hire a hitman.
B
I mean, if the going rate was $200, unfortunately, I think be a lot of people killed. People killed.
A
Because I do think the price and, and, or the danger in trying to procure this type of operation is probably what keeps most people who want someone murdered from. From doing it. Or maybe they just want to do it themselves. I don't know. I don't know why people do what they do.
B
I don't either.
A
It's really hard to. To figure out. So Heyman told the agent he would ask his girlfriend to mail him the money, but he would have to lie about what it was for. And he would distract her, quote, long enough for the job to be done.
B
Now, I can't tell her that it's. It's for you to kill her mom. So I'm going to lie. But I'll get you to 200.
A
Yeah. On May 11th, the undercover agent went to Heyman's residence to carry out the Plan. Heyman emerged with his caretaker. He expressed that he wanted something done to the caretaker and stated to the agent, this is part of the deal.
B
Oh.
A
So Heyman and the caretaker get into it because the caretaker standing right there. So they start shoving each other, which caused the agent in the operation by driving away. I mean it's just.
B
Wow.
A
Haman ended up getting indicted by a federal grand jury on July 20, 2022. And then on February 6, 2024, Haymon pleaded guilty to one count of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder to hire. On September 6th of that year, he was sentenced to the statutory maximum of 10 years in federal prison.
B
Good place for him to go.
A
Yeah. And I think we are kind of seeing like a pattern here in sentencing as well. 10 years. 10 to 20 years. 20 with 10 suspended, which comes out to be 10.
B
That's pretty good math.
A
Yeah.
B
Like how you did.
A
That's not bad. Mensa. Right. But they're all similar so far that we've seen. Now, one of the most recent cases of someone attempting to use rentahitman.com occurred in April 2023 when an air National Guardsman in Tennessee was arrested on murder for hire charges. 21 year old Josiah Garcia needed money to support his family. In mid February 2023, he began searching online for contract mercenary jobs and found the website. So he's going the other way. Right. He doesn't want to have anybody killed. He needs extra money. But he's not going to Uber or Doordash. No, he wants to kill people.
B
I want to make the big money quick.
A
This reminds me very much of the, you know, pre Internet days where they had the. What was that? That magazine where they did the advertisements in the back for Soldier of Fortune. Yeah, yeah, you were on the right track. There was advertisements in the back. People advertising to do quote, unquote, contract work.
B
Exactly.
A
Sometimes I think it was hitman type work. Of course, it just seems like there are so many ways to make extra money that now Hitman might be an easy one. Could be, if your conscience will allow for it. Mine wouldn't, obviously, and most people's wouldn't. But he found the website and on February 16th he submitted an employment inquiry, indicated he was interested in working as a hitman. He noted that he had military experience and rifle expertise. Yeah, he's trying to get a job
B
really good in my rifle. Yeah.
A
The CEO of the company. And I say CEO in quotes because it's Bob Innisray. He responded on February 18th asking for a resume. A Headshot and a photo of his id, which Garcia provided.
B
Just happy to get it over to you.
A
Why do you need a headshot? Are you casting for a commercial? Garcia's resume indicated that he was an expert marksman and had been employed in the Air National Guard since July 2021. He wrote to the website again on February 20th. He said, I'm looking for a job that pays well, related to my military experience, shooting and killing the marked target. He put that in parentheses so I can support my kid on the way. What can I say? I enjoy doing what I do. So if I can find a job that is similar to it, such as this one. Put me in, coach.
B
Put me in, coach. I'm ready to play.
A
Oh, my gosh. Again, we've talked about it so many times on this podcast, but to try to get into the minds of some of these people. Now, normally, we're getting into the minds of killers.
B
Yeah.
A
But this guy wants to kill. He wants to be paid to kill. So to me, it's equally fascinating. What is this guy thinking?
B
I'd want to run him through, like, a series of three interviews, really. See how far he's willing to go, you know?
A
Well, he continued to send messages to the site before the owner responded at the direction of the FBI, informing him that a field coordinator would be in touch.
B
I might get this thing.
A
Well, you know, everybody watching, listening, you know, kind of remembers what it's like, you know, applying for jobs back in the day. And many people might be applying now, but that. That waiting.
B
Yeah.
A
You know, are they going to respond? Is it going to be favorable? Well, he gets a response that probably, I guess, to him has to be exciting. He's going to be meeting with a field coordinator.
B
Yeah, things are happening.
A
He. He kept following up with the administrator, which obviously, again, is Bob. It's all Bob just kind of saying how much he wanted to get going as quickly as possible.
B
I'm really excited for this opportunity.
A
He spoke to undercover FBI agents over the phone in early April. Garcia was told that speaking to the company wasn't a crime, but carrying out the work was. He said he was aware that working as a hitman was a crime, but he asked how soon he could start and what the pay was. So they're. They're literally coming out and saying, so far, you technically have not committed a crime because you just talked to this company. Now, they're not saying it in these words, but he's not getting it.
B
Exactly.
A
He's like, yeah, I know. It's a crime. Yeah, I'm ready to start, and I'm okay with it.
B
Just tell me how much.
A
He reportedly said that he preferred it. Preferred to shoot people from distance, and added that if it's possible and in his means to do so, he would be comfortable torturing victims or taking trophies, such as ears or fingers.
B
Okay, so he's willing to ramp it up. You know, if the price was right, I guess.
A
I mean, it's all about the money. But I also get the sense, Gibbs, that maybe there's a little bit of enjoyment. I think this guy's a sadist.
B
Sounds like it.
A
Or maybe he hasn't done it, but really wants to.
B
Yeah.
A
Which is scary.
B
It sounds like if he did do it and if he really liked it, he might have just continued doing it for free, possibly away from this site.
A
Garcia said civilian law enforcement wasn't for him. Explaining, I wanted something more exciting. I started searching the web, and then I found this. So here I am. He met with an undercover agent at a bar in Nashville on April 6th. During that conversation, the agent told Garcia he could walk away at any time. Garcia responded by saying, I've been looking into this for some time now. I was looking for a way to make good money. It's like they just keep giving him chances to figure out that what you're doing is not right. Walk away. Yeah, and he's just not doing it again. He wanted to know what the pay was and when he could get started. He's, like, chomping at the bit.
B
I need the money.
A
On April 12, Garcia met with an undercover agent at a park in Hendersonville to accept his first job. The agent gave him a target packet of a fictional person, which included photos and other information about the individual and a down payment of $2,500. Garcia believed he was going to kill a husband who abused his wife. So he agreed to the terms of the arrangement and asked the agent if he needed to provide a photo of a dead body. And that's when he was arrested. So he took the money. He agreed that he was going to do it and even said, hey, do you need a photo of the dead body?
B
Yeah. How do I get. How do I get you confirmation?
A
After he was arrested, Garcia said he was looking for work because his family was struggling to pay rent. He noted that he was hired by a cleaning company on April 7 and was supposed to start training on the 10th. He claimed he only met with the agent to tell them that he changed his mind. He was going to tell the officer this when he got back into his car and was planning on leaving the money on the curb for the field officer to retreat.
B
Okay.
A
Because you got to get out of it somehow.
B
Right?
A
You got to make something up. At this point.
B
Yeah, I didn't really want to do it. I didn't want that money. I was going to leave it on the curb. I mean, I swear. I promise.
A
On September 25, 2025. Josiah. Josiah.
B
Josiah.
A
Okay. Yeah. For some reason, I thought I need to switch that to Hosiah, which.
B
No, no.
A
Garcia pleaded guilty to using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder for hire.
B
There's that inner interstate.
A
They always get you with, the interstate. Yeah, that was. That's part of it, you know. Right. He was later sentenced to five years of probation. And I get it. Maybe this is not to the same level of these other people who are trying to hire a hitman, but it's. It's pretty bad.
B
Yeah.
A
Honestly, if you look at it now, he didn't carry it out, but he accepted money and said. At least verbally, said, agreed. That he would kill somebody for that money. I can make an argument that five years of probation is a little light, but.
B
Well, at the same time, they hired him to work for the CIA, probably.
A
Yeah. No. So he's on probation. But, yeah, to this very day, Rent a Hitman remains up and running. You can go out there, you can look at it. I don't recommend submitting anything, neither. You know, back in 2018, Ennis told SF Gate. The words are not coming out. It is SF Gate. I added something to it.
B
Yeah.
A
That after operating the site for almost a decade, and he was running out of energy, and I could completely understand that. You know, you and I have been doing this podcast for a decade. I love it. I wouldn't want to do anything else, but it is very time consuming, and sometimes it's very energy draining.
B
Can be.
A
And this is not even a job to him.
B
Yeah.
A
This is kind of a side gig where he's not making any money. He's literally trying to prevent people from being killed.
B
You know, it's got to be some pressure. Yeah. Because now you have this information, and if the authorities don't act on it, you still know about it.
A
Or. What if you don't do. What if you don't check the emails in time?
B
What if you don't do that and
A
you later find out that somebody is killed? That's what I talked about. The weight. You're saying pressure, weight. To me, all. You know, all of it. That's a. It's It's a lot to put on a person.
B
It is. And you also have to think, so what if I discount this one and something ends up happening? Now if I go back and I find that out, I'm gonna feel terrible.
A
Yeah. Or be a lot of guilt.
B
Yeah. Or some, you know, is there any liability or too, you know, that I discounted. But they actually were going to do it. And somehow the guy's like, well, I did go out that, you know, rent a hitman.com, but they never got back.
A
But I think all of that would go in into him saying he's running out of energy because.
B
Yeah, it's a lot.
A
It's not just the work, but the weight and the pressure and all that. He said, though he wasn't sure what to do with the site. Multiple agencies, including the FBI, they. They didn't accept his offer to turn over the domain to their jurisdiction.
B
I don't know if they could. It would almost be like they're baiting.
A
Yeah, I. I could. I could understand that.
B
Yeah.
A
I can understand that. He said the simple fact that it has saved lives. Well, I have to keep it going.
B
Yeah.
A
Until I figure out what to do with it.
B
Maybe Crime Stoppers would take it.
A
Yeah. I don't know. He said that he receives about eight to 10 inquiries a month from people looking to harm others or themselves. Some people have inquired about having a hitman kill them for the insurance, possibly. Or possibly to end their life. They wanted to do it, but they
B
can't do it themselves, so they want somebody else to do it.
A
They can't do it legally or like you said, maybe they have to, you know, have to worry about insurance money or. Or something like that. And this guy has said, you know, hey, I'm not a crisis counselor. And it's difficult for him to find solutions and resources for many people who reach out. The other thing that amazes me is, you know, he. He pays for it now he does accept donations to cover the cost.
B
Right.
A
But he pays for everything out of his own pocket.
B
Yeah. And, you know, when you have a website that has a lot of hits, a lot of traffic. Yeah. It's not cheap.
A
No. The more traffic, the more it costs to host, usually. In 2021, the Guardian asked if he worried that he was setting people up by keeping the site going. He responded by saying, this is a stupid question. The site is not a ploy to. To lure or dupe people who want to have others killed. These people search the Internet to contact a hitman. They just happened to Kind of land on his site.
B
Yeah.
A
He added that the site is not advertised anywhere and he gives people a 24 hour cooling off period to ascertain whether they are serious.
B
Yeah.
A
He explained. I'll ask two simple questions. Do you still require our services and would you like me to place you in contact with a field operative for a free consultation? Again, it's like buying Windows or something or, you know, some kind of home improvement. Now, if they don't respond, he gives them a free pass.
B
Right.
A
He doesn't turn their information over. If they do, though, in his words, it's game on.
B
Yeah, well, he gave them the opportunity.
A
Yeah.
B
They decided not to take it.
A
He told the Guardian, as long as these emails keep coming in, I will continue to act. So far, he believes nearly 150 lives have been saved as a direct result of the site and his actions.
B
It's got to make you feel good about that piece.
A
Yeah. I mean, rewarding. But again, you got to balance that with the pressure. I don't think the money is probably as big a deal, but the pressure of, gosh, I got to check these emails because who knows what's going to be in there and how do I make the decision of what to pass on, what not to pass on? Maybe it's as simple as, you know, if they answer those two questions, their information it goes, and then whatever authorities want to do with it, then he's done his part.
B
I guess I just feel like there's a potential movie in the making here with like, maybe Steve Carell playing him, you know, maybe. Could be kind of interesting because Steve
A
Carell does serious stuff well, too. Yeah, he actually does. I just thought it was such kind of a strange, wacky story. Nobody dies.
B
Yeah.
A
Which is different for us. And, you know, as far as a tcat, we've done a couple, but it's out of the norm. But to me, it goes to kind of that mental or mindset trying to jump into these people's ways of thinking of, I'm going to hire someone to kill someone to take care of my problem or problems. And, you know, that's just a thought that has always kind of fascinated me because I don't understand it. I really don't and never will.
B
It is a true crime if it's our bucket.
A
Yeah, it's true crime. Absolutely. But that's it for our episode on Rent a Hitman. You got anything you want to talk about, Gibbs, as we wrap up?
B
I feel like maybe I need to take a few of my sights down, though.
A
You probably should.
B
Yeah.
A
Yeah, you're. You're on that Razor's edge kind of operating in that gray area. I mean, you do do a lot of gray, man stuff.
B
Yeah, well, Rex west does, but.
A
Yeah, Rex west does, which I've cautioned you against. But. But that's it for another episode of True Crime all the Time. So for Mike and Gibby, stay safe and keep your own time ticking. With Verbo care, help is always ready before, during, and after your stay. We've planned for the plot twists, so
B
support is always available because a great
A
trip starts with peace of mind.
Release Date: April 9, 2026
Hosts: Mike Ferguson (A) & Mike Gibson aka Gibby (B)
In this unique episode, Mike and Gibby dive into the bizarre, darkly comedic world of RentAHitman.com—an internet parody site that unintentionally became a tool for law enforcement to catch people seeking contract killers. The hosts unpack the site’s origins, the mindsets of those fooled by its facade, and several wild, real cases where users tried to hire “hitmen,” sometimes with chillingly serious intent. Theme-wise, the episode balances grave true crime content with amazement, disbelief, and the hosts’ signature humor.
Background:
Turning Point:
"Let's be honest, right? Anybody reading that, you gotta pick up that it's not serious." (09:36)
“The only thing would make it funnier is if they, you know, offer financing for you...” (25:57)
“‘I’m looking for a job that pays well, related to my military experience, shooting and killing the marked target... what can I say? I enjoy doing what I do. Put me in, coach.’” — reading Garcia’s email (43:16)
RentAHitman.com started as a joke, but became a strange and sometimes heroic tool for unmasking dangerous intentions in a digital age. Through incredulous laughter, disturbing real stories, and legal close calls, this episode exposes both the cluelessness and seriousness of would-be criminals. The hosts’ blend of analysis and irreverence creates a memorable episode that’s as much a cautionary tale about the internet’s dark corners as it is a testament to the strange ways real lives have been saved.
For more on this case and other fascinating (and sometimes surreal) true crime stories, listen to "True Crime All The Time."