Man Charged in Pay Murder Plots to Blame Black Lives Matter, Officials Say

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A Florida man accused of hiring a hitman to kill his ex-girlfriend and her family was planning to blame the murders on the Black Lives Matter movement, federal officials said.

The man, Daniel Slater, 51, of Jupiter, was arrested last year for murder for pay, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and conspiracy to possess. He is accused of soliciting an associate to help him kill his ex-girlfriend, sister and sister’s husband in the foiled plan.

A criminal complaint alleges Slater believed his girlfriend’s family had ruined his relationship. He offered to give the associate money and drugs for committing the crime, according to the document. Slater was arrested after someone described as his associate started working for the FBI.

Authorities began investigating Slater in February 2020 after the body of a 26-year-old woman was found in Miami’s Everglades National Park, according to the complaint. According to the Latin Times, the woman has been identified as Brianne Slabaugh.

The complaint states that Slater asked Slabaugh to watch his ex-girlfriend and the ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend. Slater asked her to get closer to the boyfriend “then kill him,” but she did not commit the crime, according to the complaint.

Fort Lauderdale’s Sun-Sentinel newspaper reported that a medical examiner decided Slabaugh died of an accidental drug overdose.

The investigation into his death led the FBI to an associate of Slater, authorities said. The associate began working with the agency and was invited to meet Slater while wearing audio and recording devices, they said.

At a meeting in June 2020, Slater explained how he wanted the associate to kill his ex-girlfriend, officials said. According to the complaint, the associate was ordered to break the woman’s teeth, break her nose and throw acid on her face.

The associate was also ordered to kill the ex-girlfriend’s sister and the sister’s husband, according to the document. He says Slater drove the associate to the sister’s home and told him what to do.

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“Slater pointed out a window in the house, explained how [the sister] and she [husband] sat in their living room at specific times, and told the [associate] shoot victims through the window during one of these times, “according to the complaint.

Slater told the associate to spray “Black Lives Matter” paint on the house after the murders to “make it appear that members of that movement were responsible,” according to the complaint. Around this time, protests were taking place across the country after the death of George Floyd.

The associate told Slater they would need a hitman to help them carry out the murders, according to the complaint. The hitman was actually an undercover FBI agent, he said.

On June 12, Slater met with the associate, who told him the sister and her husband had been murdered and provided edited footage that appeared to show their bodies, authorities said.

Slater paid the associate and the “hitman” $ 400 and promised to give them more, officials said. Slater was arrested and charged three days later.

Slater initially pleaded not guilty. At a court hearing last week, he changed his guilty plea as part of a plea deal.

According to the Latin Times, Slater could have faced 90 years in prison if he had been convicted of all counts. Under the plea agreement, he risks a maximum of 10 years.

A judge set the sentence for September 16. Slater’s lawyers did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday.

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