Utah man charged with attempting to hire a hit man — to kill himself
Criminal charges have been filed against a Utah man for allegedly attempting to hire a hit man, but the person he wanted to have killed was himself.
Taylor Eric Bedolla, 22, is being charged with criminal solicitation, which is a first-degree felony, and obstructing justice, a second-degree felony, in the Fourth District Court in Santaquin, Utah.
Back in October, a Salem, Utah, Police Department officer responded to a post shared on the app Whisper. The anonymous social media app allows users to post and share photos and videos. The post had the title “Need Help 19F,” with 19F meaning 19-year-old female.
“I suspected that this individual was either looking to purchase illegal drugs or to sell illegal drugs,” the officer wrote in a search warrant affidavit.
According to the warrant, when the officer asked the person what they needed help with, the response was, “Kill my ex-fiancé. He’s trying to get custody of our daughter.”
During the days that followed, the officer and Bedolla sent messages back and forth to iron out the logistics of the “murder.” Posing as his ex-fiancée, he offered the undercover officer $5,000 to carry out the hit.
According to the charge, “Believing that he was actually speaking to the ex-girlfriend and genuinely concerned for [Bedolla’s] safety, the officer contacted [Bedolla] at his residence and explained to him what he believed was going on and the nature of the investigation.”
During the investigation, however, the officer started to suspect Bedolla was the originator of the messages, and surveillance video of his ex-girlfriend at work confirmed she was not involved.
On Nov. 20, Bedolla was confronted by the officer about the fraud.
“During that interview, [Bedolla] admitted that he had created the Whisper account, posed as his ex-girlfriend, and solicited the murder. [He] explained that he was depressed at the time, wanted to die, but couldn’t do it himself. He further explained that he posed as his ex-girlfriend because he believed that someone would take a woman, under the circumstances he’d described, more seriously and be more inclined to follow through with the solicitation,” the charge reads.
Bedolla is set to appear in court on Tuesday.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
How to turn your photos into a thoughtful gift in time for Christmas
Man with cystic fibrosis is ecstatic to learn he’ll be getting a new set of lungs
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
