Click for a Killer (Parts 1 & 2) | Full Episodes | Forensic Files

Now, a special two-part [music] edition of 48 Hours. >> I really hadn't even heard of the dark
[music] web before. >> It's just scary. It's a [music] scary movie to me. >> This is terrifying. And it's as easy as
going to Amazon, a few clicks, and you could hire a hitman. >> You go to the website and you send an
email. Who you want dead, who you want hurt. They'll tell you how much money it's
going to cost, >> [music] >> and you pay for it. >> Well, the dark web is everywhere.
[music] It's all over the world. It's got no borders. >> I'm very familiar with the dark web and
all the cyber crime it contains. >> I discovered there's a lot of sick people out there.
There are people around the world in danger. And I had to do something about it.
>> On the dark web, everybody's anonymous. It's like a parallel internet, and sometimes we call it the internet's evil
twin because it is a place of absolute lawlessness. What makes it dangerous is that it can't
be policed. >> On the dark web, you can buy and sell drugs. >> Any drug you want.
>> You can buy weapons. >> Human trafficking. >> Pornography of the most depraved types.
>> And sometimes I've seen people trying to kill people. >> Hit men for hire advertise their
services on the dark web. >> Cosa Nostra is the proven legitimate deep web eBay of crime. We offer you
services to beat up, set fire, or kill customer targets. >> Hi, my name is Yura.
We have hundreds of gang members, criminals, and people who love to kill for money. They are anonymous. You are
anonymous. So, come and get rid of those nasty problems. >> This is deadly serious. This is talking
about the murder of a human being. >> You know, when you pay $10,000 to get someone killed, these are dangerous
people. >> These are messages from the user known as Dog Day God, one of the most
notorious users of the website. >> What's the first sentence [music] that Dog Day God writes?
>> I'm looking to hire you for a hit. >> 911, what's the address of the emergency?
>> I think my wife shot herself. There's blood all over. >> Took me about 6 minutes to get to the
house. >> It soon became clear that it was not a suicide. Someone had killed her.
She was a devoted wife, a loving mother, >> [music] >> who had many friends. >> I mean, my friend was taken
from me. It's like road rage 10 times, but through the internet. That's just too close to me.
It scares me to death. >> Tonight, we're going to take you on one of the strangest journeys ever on 48
Hours. It's a murder investigation that begins not far from here in small-town Minnesota and then takes us
to here in Texas, here in California, to here in Tennessee, to 4,000 mi away here
in London. 48 Hours explores the alarming world of murder-for-hire on the dark web and
follows the story wherever it leads to expose an international criminal organization and hunt for a murder
mastermind across the globe named Yura. >> How recently has Yura [music] threatened
your life? >> Well, he I think it was about a week ago. I'm going to take [music] this guy down.
>> I will be waiting for you on the deep web. >> [music] >> 48 Hours: Murder on the Dark Web,
reported by Peter Van Sant. >> [music] >> A hit man marketplace is like any other
auction site. It brings customers and vendors together. >> You're looking at a man who says he's
behind an international murder empire named Besa Mafia. He calls himself Yura. His real name is
unknown. >> Any hit man is welcome to sign up, but not all will be accepted. >> His website invites would-be killers to
send him hitman audition tapes. What you are about to see can't be verified because it was anonymously
posted online. Is this a real hit? >> If one searches online for I quote shot dead on street one will
find plenty of news about people being shot dead in the street by unknown people that should and leave the site.
Those are our hitmen. We will be waiting for you to come place your orders and get rid of your
problems. >> Yura's ominous brand of high-tech terror extends from an unknown location to the
smartphones, [music] tablets, and laptops of middle America. In fact, we discovered Yura and his hitman-for-hire
website while investigating the shooting death of Amy Allwine in the Minneapolis suburb of Cottage
Grove, Minnesota. Amy and her husband, Steven, both 43, seemed to live a quintessential American
life surrounded by friends, >> [music] >> family, and dogs. Lots of them. >> Yes, good boy.
Nice job. >> Amy ran a dog training business while Steven, [music] a freelance IT expert,
worked from their home. They were college sweethearts, married in 1996, [music] and eventually adopted
a young boy. Joseph is now 10. >> When she talked about her son, her face changed.
>> [laughter] >> From happy to happier, if that's possible. >> Always thinking of others, Amy was the
salt of the earth, says her friend, Jane Sharp. >> You could look in her eyes and just see
good. >> Faith was important, too, says Washington County Prosecutor, Jamie Cryser.
>> They were members of the United Church of God, as were all of their family members.
>> Steven, a respected elder in the church, delivered sermons, >> [music] >> counseled couples, and even made videos
with Amy demonstrating dance moves that complied with their conservative religious beliefs.
But sometime, somewhere, warm-hearted Amy Allwine had made an enemy. In the spring of 2016, long before we
began our investigation, the FBI learned about a murder-for-hire site called Besa
Mafia, people paying for other people to be killed, and began looking into it. Pouring over that treasure trove of dark
web data, FBI agents were startled to learn that dozens of people had ordered contract killings all over the world.
But one in particular stood out. Someone using the chilling screen name, Dog Day
God, had ordered the assassination of a woman in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. Her name?
Amy Allwine. >> It was a case where the FBI had approached us about some concerns
regarding Amy and and threats on the internet. >> Cottage Grove Police Captain, Randy
McAllister. >> Dog Day God says, "I need this [ __ ] [music] dead, so please help me." There
was an urgency. >> Right. >> Dog Day God is sort of chomping at the bit for this to happen.
>> Dog Day God said, "Amy has ruined my life and [music] stolen my business." >> Eileen Ormsby, an Australian writer and
CBS News Consultant, learned about the Allwine case while researching a book about the dangers of the dark web.
>> So here we have hacking services, stolen PayPal's and credit cards. The dark web
is the name that we give to the group of websites that can't be accessed using Google or any of your normal search
engines. >> [music] >> You need to download special software and then it opens up this new world to
you. The technology behind it was actually developed by the US military to hide military secrets. So
that sort of security obviously offers criminals great security as well. >> The killing of Amy Allwine had been
ordered on that hitman website Besa Mafia. >> Yura is the owner of Besa Mafia and
subsequent websites [music] that are the most profitable group of murder for hire sites that have ever
existed. [music] >> Ever existed? >> Ever existed. >> Ormsby's research led her to a
like-minded colleague half a world away in London. Chris Monteiro, IT specialist
by day, white hat hacker by night, had also found Besa Mafia. >> If you pass the barrier of having paid
money to get someone killed, you are mentally committed to doing that. >> Chris didn't want us or our footage to
reveal the location of his apartment. >> The people who had used this website are
in many cases dangerous people. >> Cuz these are people who genuinely want to have someone else murdered.
>> Yes. And in many cases are paying significant amount of money for this. >> Dog day God spent a lot of money to have
Amy Allwine murdered. >> Dog day God wanted her dead badly enough to pay Yura and the Besa Mafia site more
than $12,000 in the digital currency Bitcoin. >> Bitcoin is an online currency. >> Even financial transactions are made
anonymously on the dark web, says prosecutor Kryzer. >> Bitcoin is untraceable because when you
use Bitcoin, it is done through what is called a wallet. >> And so, once I get a Bitcoin wallet, I
can use that to pay for these services on the dark web. >> That is correct. >> Even murder?
>> That's right. >> With the hit against Amy bought and paid for, [music] the FBI had to tell her and Steven the
frightening news. >> I believe it was May 31st of 2016. I was called >> Cottage Grove detective Terry Raymond
rode along with the FBI that day. >> Well, we brought her into an interview room. You had to ask the the question,
Amy, do you know anyone in your life who would want you dead? >> Right. >> And she didn't.
She was completely shocked and had no clue who it could possibly be. >> Raymond says at the time the FBI never
mentioned [music] anything to him or the Allwines about Yura, Base a Mafia, or Dog Day God.
But they told her there was a murder for hire plot against her on the dark web. >> It was the FBI's investigation.
They have people that are familiar with the dark web. Other than an extra patrol
thing, it's not something we would get involved in. >> The authorities advised Amy and her
husband to beef up their home security and then left. >> They installed a video surveillance
system and they purchased a a pistol. So, they had taken steps. >> And Amy Allwine from that point on lived
with this knowledge that someone wanted her dead. >> Then, 2 months later, in July 2016,
Amy got another death threat. This time sent directly to her. >> Amy, I still blame you for my life falling
[snorts] apart. Here is what is going to happen. I will come after everything else
that you love. >> Suddenly, the [music] threat to kill hung over Amy's entire family, including
her son Joseph, then 8 years old. >> Here is how you can save your family. Commit suicide.
So, why not do it now and save them? Now, how seriously do you take this threat?
>> You have to investigate [music] it as much as you can. Uh the problem is the email was sent
from was anonymized, so it was untraceable. >> And so, the house is up here on the
left. [music] >> But, someone did want Amy Allwine dead. And soon enough, she would be.
>> 911, what's the address to the emergency? Dispatch 4315. >> I'm en route 4315.
>> I'm en route to 110th Street. >> Sergeant Gwen Martin was just starting the night shift on November 13th, 2016,
>> 911, what's the address to the emergency? >> when a 911 call came in that made many
on the Cottage Grove Police Department drop what they were doing. >> The caller was
telling them that a female had shot herself. >> I think my wife shot herself. There's
blood all over. >> We're getting the squad cars, and we start going to the scene. The
adrenaline is pumping, the heart's beating fast. >> As an 18-year veteran patrol cop and
experienced paramedic, Martin says she was trained to be ready for anything. But, nothing had prepared her for a
message she received from dispatch about halfway through her 6-minute drive to the scene.
>> I knew it was Amy. >> Martin had grown fond of Amy Allwine after teaching her in an 8-week course
for citizens to learn about law enforcement [music] and emergency services. They'd last seen each other
just [music] 2 weeks earlier at graduation. >> My my heart stopped. No, this isn't possible. Amy
wasn't suicidal. Amy was happy. She had a husband. She had a son. What possibly could be going on?
>> As Martin rounded a final curve on the pitch-black country road, the tail lights of first responders at the scene
appeared in her windshield. >> And that's the house there. >> Yep, that's the house there.
>> She says she entered the house still hoping that the female might be someone other than Amy.
>> And what did you see? >> I saw Amy lying on the floor, a pool of blood, a blank look on her face.
Obviously dead. >> Amy Allwine was sprawled on the bedroom floor. Her eyes were open, her pants
partially unzipped. >> And I started crying. My mind is spinning. I was whirling
um with disbelief, with shock. >> Martin called [music] Captain Randy McAlister at his home. He rushed to the
scene, passing the Allwine's son, Joseph, outside the house. The boy was being comforted by his father, Steven.
>> Did you happen to notice or did any of the officers describe his demeanor? >> At that point, um
no. He appeared calm to me. >> McAlister says he expected to find a suicide. >> [music]
>> But once in the house, his nose detected something strange. A pumpkin was roasting in the kitchen.
>> So, the notion would be that Amy Allwine put a pumpkin in the roaster, put it in the oven,
and then shot herself. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> So, that was really odd. >> It doesn't look like a suicide.
>> Amy's gunshot wound was easy to miss at first, a single bullet hole inside her
right ear. The Allwines' pistol was lying in [music] the crook of her left arm, which was perplexing because Amy
was right-handed. >> How did her hand end up under the bed and the gun end up on her left arm?
>> Then, McAllister studied the bloody scene around Amy. >> I noticed what we called satellite blood
drips that were actually outside of the blood pool. >> At some point, Amy's head was suspended
above those drops. >> Meaning, prosecutor Jamie Cryzer says that someone may have moved her body to
this spot. And when the crime scene team did a Luminol test, looking for invisible blood stains,
>> it's lit up like a Christmas tree. >> Bloody footprints, too faint to be seen
with the naked eye, suddenly appeared everywhere. >> They went back and forth to the mud
room, but they also went into the bathroom on the main floor, and they went into the son's bedroom.
>> There were no immediate suspects. Amy's son was just a kid. Her husband, Steven,
had helped beef up security at the house after the FBI's warning. Even bought a gun.
He agreed to be questioned down at the police station. >> We were a normal family. There's nothing
Nothing we need. Nothing strange. >> The thing that stood out for everybody, I think, is his demeanor.
>> Came back up for lunch. >> Even though Steven Allwine had made that 911 call, McAllister says Allwine was
oddly calm for someone who had just found his wife shot to death. Even when he started crying at one
point, >> It was so weird and seeing him do that. Because Because it was with both
I guess I don't even know what she was going through. I don't know what >> It just seemed kind of fake to me.
>> Allwine told police he'd spent the morning working in his basement. He says when he came up for lunch, Amy wasn't
feeling well. >> She was coming down with something. >> Allwine said he'd given their son to
Amy's parents for the afternoon. >> He left the house at roughly 5:30 p.m. to go pick his son up from the
grandparents' house. >> From there, Allwine says he took his son for dinner and then drove home.
>> And the son apparently went right to the master bedroom to look for his mom and found her on the floor.
>> 911, what's the address of the emergency? >> When when people call 911, they're usually calling for help.
>> I need help. I need an ambulance. I I need the police. >> They're in utter shock, despair. I need
help. And his first line wasn't asking for help. >> I think my wife shot herself. There's
blood all over. >> It was more of a statement. >> As the 911 call went on, Stephen
Allwine's distraught young son, who discovered his mother's body, had questions.
>> Why did she >> I I don't know. I don't know, Bud. Come here. >> He then asked,
>> Are we going to remarry? >> I don't know, Bud. >> Mhm. I'm so sad. >> Did you hear
what I heard? what seemed like a chuckle? >> Yeah. >> There was nothing funny in that room in
that scene. >> Nothing funny at all. >> Although Steven Allwine's behavior seemed fishy in the 911 call and police
interviews, McAllister said there was no apparent motive for him to kill his wife. And there was no definitive
evidence linking him to the death scene. >> At that point in your mind is this a
murder case? >> I'm thinking it's a murder case. I just don't know who done it. >> Amy Allwine's husband, Steven, called
911. I have it here. >> I don't even want to hear her son, um >> The poor little boy.
>> Jane Sharp is furious that authorities who knew about the dark web hitman threat against her friend Amy Allwine
didn't [music] do more to protect her. >> I think they failed her. They failed her.
>> So at when you arrive at the residence, there's not a sense of the husband might
be someone we should really keep our eye on. >> No, we didn't discuss any of that.
>> Terry Raymann and Randy McAllister from the Cottage Grove police say this was
the FBI's case. The feds took the lead that day. Local police say they did [music]
everything they could for Amy, warned her to take security precautions, and increased patrols in her area.
>> You can't park a car indefinitely outside of somebody's house unless you have more specific information.
>> We wanted to ask the FBI about the Allwine case, but the bureau declined our request for an interview.
Since 2015, Chris Monteiro had been sounding the alarm about dark web murder-for-hire sites. He'd been writing
online articles to argue that many hitman sites were phony. In 2016, he says he noticed someone had
edited one of his posts about Besa Mafia, insisting it was real. >> This is Yura doing this?
>> Yes. >> And so, he's basically saying, "This guy's not right. Don't listen to him."
>> Yeah. You can have people killed. >> Yeah. >> An online argument ensued. The sniping
continued for months until Chris says he received a chilling video from Yura in his inbox.
>> And in this video is someone holding up a piece of paper with my domain name.
And there's a big flame, and a car's being torched. It was very uh very surreal. At this point, I didn't
know what to do. >> Chris called a lawyer the next day. In the following weeks, as the threats from
Yura continued, he sought help and support from his online community, including author Eileen Ormsby in
Australia. >> Did you interpret this as a threat upon Chris's life? >> Yes, we both did.
>> Chris also saw it as a declaration of war. >> I was going to take this guy down.
>> That was easier said than done. Yura's sites were encrypted, and he regularly
changed their names. >> To customers, law enforcement can't easily close our site because the IP is
hidden. Hosting is hidden. >> Then, Chris developed a special computer code to hack into the Besa Mafia site.
>> So, you're able to see all the communication that's gone between customers and Yura himself and his
responses. What are you discovering? >> I discovered there's a lot of sick people out there, and many cases being
very graphic about how they want the person to suffer. I would like this person to be shot and
killed. I have very strong motives to kill my daughter. Do you know where I can hire someone to
rape another person? Do you pour acid on my target? If so, how much does it cost?
>> Did you come across someone who used the handle dogdaygod? [music] >> Yes, I did.
>> The target in this kill order was Amy Allwine. Chris found scores of messages
between dogdaygod and Yura discussing how, where, and when the hit would take place.
>> What did dogdaygod want done? >> The target killed whilst they were on a particular given date.
>> Dogdaygod writes, "I am looking to hire you for a hit." Yura writes back, "We
can plan the hit when you are traveling outside the city for a day or two. This makes everyone know you could not be the
murderer." Dogdaygod again, "The target will be traveling out of town to Moline, Illinois. What is the
price in Bitcoin for a hit and ideally making it look like an accident?" "Normal killing by gunshot is $5,000,"
Yura responds. "Killing to make it look like accident is $5,000 plus max 4,000."
>> It's all organized. It's all ready to go. Yura is offering everything here except airline miles, it seems, for this
hit. >> Dogdaygod has a a very intimate knowledge of Amy's whereabouts, her movements, and what she's going to be
doing at any one time. >> And Ormsby says dogdaygod's messages with Yura, which began about 9 months
before [music] Amy Allwine died, make clear that as time passed, dogdaygod had grown impatient about having the hit
carried out. March 20th, 2016. "I want her gone. I need her gone." Chris says he was so concerned about the
hitman's sights, he contacted the FBI. >> I spoke to an agent then and explained
the situation. >> He admits he didn't get into specifics about any plot in particular and says
the conversation went nowhere. He eventually gave up trying. >> This would take over my life even more than it has.
>> But Chris's life was turned upside down in January 2017 when he learned about
Amy Allwine's death. >> I was so upset when I found out and this is exactly what I tried to stop.
It's really bit difficult. >> Very painful for you. >> Back in Minnesota, police had been
investigating Amy's death since the day her body was discovered. They'd made an unusual find in the basement where
Steven had an office. >> He had a lot of very advanced electrical and computer equipment.
>> I heard there was as many as 66 [music] electronic devices down there. I mean,
did it look like mission control? >> Yeah. >> It was a lot even for an IT professional
like Steven Allwine and investigators unearthed startling cyber evidence in his email.
>> Steven Allwine had been going on a website called Ashley Madison. It is a website for married people
seeking extramarital affairs. >> A hack of a controversial social networking website
>> Ashley Madison, whose client list was leaked in 2015, publicly shaming some of
the most rich and powerful adulterers in America. >> How do you think she would have taken
that news? >> She'd have crushed. >> Jamie Chryser says Steven Allwine's position in [music] the church would
have been in jeopardy if he divorced Amy. >> Steven Allwine had dated at least three women through different
[music] internet forums. Those relationships ranged from a date to a prolonged sexual relationship.
[music] >> This is one of those women and read for yourself, their texts could never be
heard in church. >> That goes to motive in that Steven Allwine did not want to be married
anymore. >> The incriminating evidence against Steven Allwine was growing. They discovered Allwine had been shopping on
the dark web for an anti-nausea drug called scopolamine. >> Taking a large amount of scopolamine
would render you helpless, essentially. >> Had he pulled the trigger himself or hired a hitman from Yura's website?
Yura claimed Amy's shooting was arranged on Besa Mafia in this video diary he sent us.
>> The Besa Mafia hitman visited the Allwine residence and shot his wife using her gun and then left the location
in a hurry. >> Either way, Amy's autopsy showed an enormous amount of scopolamine in her
system. >> In in high enough amounts it can kill you. >> In spite of the scopolamine in her
system, in spite of the messages to the hitman's site, Randy McAlister was lacking absolute proof that Steven
Allwine was involved in Amy's death. Could someone else have used Allwine's computers?
>> I really didn't latch on to Steven Allwine as the suspect until December 12th.
>> December 12th, 2017. That's the day McAllister got a call from another investigator who had just
made another crucial discovery. >> Stephen moved from being the grieving spouse of Amy
to the suspect in her murder. >> I've worked on many murders in my career. This one [music]
far and wide the most complex, trying uh case I have ever worked on as a prosecutor. [music]
>> On December 12th, 2016, authorities in the Allwine investigation caught their
biggest break of all. >> Is there a smoking gun in this case, in your opinion? >> There is a smoking gun in this case.
>> Prosecutor Jamie Cryzer says the smoking gun was a 34-character code in a message
from Dog Day God paying for Amy's murder in Bitcoin. That digital currency that people on the dark web often use to buy
and sell anonymously. The problem for Steven Allwine was that the code was on his computer.
Cryzer says it could not have been a coincidence. >> So, in the end, who is Dog Day God?
>> Dog Day God is Steven Allwine. >> The man who swore to God that he would love, honor, and cherish Amy Allwine is
[music] now suspected of sending her to an early grave. >> We know he tried to hire a hit man to kill her.
We know he tried to poison her. He tried to get her to kill herself with these emails. That didn't work.
>> Prosecutors say after waiting for 9 months, Steven Alwine was so frustrated that the hit hadn't happened
that he shot his wife to death himself using that nausea drug to render her helpless and the gun he'd bought for
their personal protection. >> Hi there. I'm Michelle French 48 Hours. >> Steven Alwine was arrested on January
17th, 2017 on murder charges. >> [music] >> He hired defense attorney Kevin Devore.
>> Let's get right to it. Did Steven Alwine murder his wife, Amy? >> No. >> If he didn't, who did?
>> Well, there were threats that were being made directly to Amy Alwine on the internet.
>> Devore claims authorities had tunnel vision from the start focusing on Steven
Alwine and [music] ignoring other possibilities. >> Now, investigators say, "Nice try with
that, but Steven wrote all those emails. It was Steven who sought to hire a hit man."
>> That's what they say, but they didn't provide us with any proof that he sent those emails.
>> There was a 34-digit code, the same code that was found on Steven Alwine's laptop and on a cell
phone. Cuz how do you explain that? >> Well, that's what that was the best evidence the state had in their case and
uh >> And the truth is you can't explain it. >> I can't explain it, but there is another
possibility of how it got on there. >> Incriminating evidence was uploaded to Steven Alwine's computer from a device
called S. Alwine iPhone. But Devore will ask jurors to believe the phone wasn't Steven's.
In any case, Devore says there's evidence a woman wrote messages like this one. I don't know how a
like you got to my husband. >> There were other women involved in Amy's life, uh friends of hers and other
colleagues that had full access to her internet, to her home. >> Andy says it was a woman after all, or
at least someone claiming to be, who tried to get Amy to commit suicide just months before authorities found her
dead. >> It appeared that it was another female that was angry with Amy for uh allegedly
having an affair with this woman's husband. >> Police found no evidence Amy Allwine was
having an affair with anyone. [music] >> It sounds like you're making up an excuse for your client.
>> Well, let me tell you, as a criminal defense attorney, my job is to defend my
client to show that he's not guilty. >> Allwine's arrest rocked the United Church of God, where he had been held in
such high esteem. Officials issued a statement expressing their profound shock and sadness.
>> As Steven Allwine's murder trial approached in January 2018, authorities were winding down their investigation.
But 48 Hours was launching one of its own. We wanted to learn more about the shadowy figure behind the Besa Mafia
site. >> So, I ventured into a very strange place for the first time in my life, the dark
web. >> Yura had by this time closed down Besa Mafia and opened a new hitman site
called Cosa Nostra, another reference to the mob and organized crime. [music] Again, these websites can't be verified.
>> This is the Cosa Nostra website on the dark web. You can see the pictures of somebody
who's clearly been shot. A man with a gun, eyes hidden, like he's a hit man, cars that have been burned.
>> We wanted to talk to Yura ourselves, so we wrote to him on the dark web. Amazingly, he responded almost right
away. "Hi, I am Yura." he wrote. "I got your earlier message." And even more amazingly, agreed to an
interview with an important condition. He said it had to be in London. >> So, we've flown from New York to London,
rented this studio. You can see the lights behind me for the big interview, and we even brought in a master of
disguise who's going to camouflage Yura's face. Now, all we need is him. >> Could be someone in one of the
>> Eileen Ormsby, who we brought to London from Australia, joined us as we waited.
>> What do you know about Yura? Where does he live, do you think? >> I don't know where Yura lives, but I I
suspect he's not too far away from us right now. >> On our second day, we got a message on
the dark web. >> What What did he say? >> I don't think he's coming. >> Yura told us that he was convinced that
we were being followed by British intelligence. So, we offered to meet him in a public place where he could surveil
us and see that we were alone. We even offered to talk in a moving taxi, making our way through London.
But Yura was convinced that if he showed up, so too would the authorities. >> I do have several millions to live a
nice life and start several businesses. Why should I risk being arrested and end
up in jail? >> Chris Montero says he knows just how risky contact with Yura can be. He
experienced it firsthand in his own home. >> February 4th, 2017. You're here in your flat in London.
What happens? >> Well, I'm just in the living room having some soup and I hear some noises from
the door. I'm thinking, "What's going on?" So, I come out and I go here to listen.
>> He says he'd spent months monitoring Yura when Yura cunningly turned the tables on him.
>> Yura wasn't happy with me. He decided what he would do, he would try and confuse the matters of who ran the
website. >> Not long before he discovered that Yura was trying to frame him, claiming Chris
ran the hitman sites. >> And before I know it, there's battering ram knocking down the door. There's
armed police bursting in. They push me up against the wall here and saying, "Hands in the air. You're under arrest
for for incitement to murder." And I'm like, "What?" >> He says he was amazed when cops
confiscated his computers and locked him up. British authorities dropped the charges [music] and later refused our
request for an interview about Chris Montero. >> What a nightmare. >> It wasn't It wasn't fun. I do not
recommend. >> Knowing what Yura had done to Chris, we weren't surprised that he backed out of
an interview with us during our four days here in London. But we didn't walk away empty-handed. Yura did give us some
information that took our investigation into a whole new direction. The man who apparently cornered the
market in contract killings sent us a video diary. >> I am doing this video diary entry to
give you official statements about the site. >> And insisted he actually wanted to save
lives. To prove it, he began giving us the names of the murder targets from his sites.
>> to get his office first. >> We wanted to touch base with you. >> Normally, as journalists, we report the
news and then do our best to get out of the way. But, this was different. We found ourselves in the middle of an
apparent live marketplace for murder. And there was only one thing we could do. Our team contacted authorities. We
blurred our staff's faces for security reasons. >> We have a tip on a murder-for-hire plot.
>> knows where the target works, knows where the target lives. >> And after we called authorities, we
began approaching targets like this woman ourselves. >> Now, I know that someone has a target on my back.
They were trying to murder me. >> Good boy. That was a good try. There you >> What do this dog trainer in Minnesota,
>> I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. >> this Hollywood actress, >> You had no idea this was going on.
>> idea. >> this hacker in London, >> This person's very, very serious about having Lori killed.
>> this single mom in Tennessee, >> Why someone trying to murder me? >> and this shadowy figure in an
undisclosed location have in common? >> A hitman goes and shoots the target from
close range. >> Murder-for-hire plots on the dark web. From the American [music] heartland to
countries across the globe. >> He's being charged with something that could get him hanged.
>> The tips that you have given 48 Hours now total 33 in nine countries. >> Uh, So, a lot to take in, really.
>> And 48 Hours helped expose them. >> Because they just received a tip for a murder for hire in Iran.
>> Against a citizen of Taiwan. >> murder for hire plot unraveled. Last week, police received a tip about the
murder for hire plot from the CBS news program 48 Hours. >> Uh Ms. Jones, can I talk to you?
>> If it wasn't for 48 Hours, there would have been a funeral. >> Back at the airport, heading to
California, where we're told an arrest is imminent. Do you understand the terror that you
have caused with this murder for hire plot? >> Coming up next. >> This special two-part edition of 48
Hours will continue. >> [music] [music] [music] >> 48 Hours continues. >> On the dark web, everybody's anonymous.
So, you don't know who you're dealing with. >> There are people throughout this country, throughout this world,
who are wanting other people [music] dead. >> Hit men for hire advertise services on
the dark web. >> So many people don't know about the dark web, how [music] dangerous it is.
>> I've never heard of it until this happened to Amy. >> To friends and family, they seemed like
an all-American, church-going, caring, loving couple. >> Until one day, the FBI discovered that
somebody had paid for a hitman to murder this woman. This hit had been taken out on the dark
web. >> Around 7:00, a 911 call came in dispatch. >> 911, what's the address of the
emergency? >> I think my wife shot herself. There's blood all over. >> She had a gunshot wound to her head.
It soon became clear [music] that it was not a suicide. Someone had killed her. >> Hi, my name is Yura.
We have hundreds of gang members, criminals, and people who love to kill for money.
>> Yura is the owner of the most profitable group of murder-for-hire sites that have
ever existed. >> You'd like to see Yura tracked down. >> Yeah, I think he needs to be put away.
It's [music] hit home to me. You know, now I've lost a friend. >> This is exactly what I tried to stop.
The only person who could see this information [music] and potentially stop it was myself.
>> And you're looking at this as a potential life [music] or death situation. >> Absolutely.
>> Lori is in San Luis Obispo in California. This person is very, very serious about
having Lori killed. >> Our source has some important information about a murder-for-hire plot
in your county. >> We will definitely work immediately on locating her today. >> We have to consider that that particular
victim's life is in danger. >> We did a search of her apartment and could not find her, which was alarming.
>> [screaming] >> I never thought the dark web would [music] be this dark. From the moment I found out I was I've
been looking over my shoulder. It is traumatizing. To this day I still have night terrors.
>> You know, when you pay $10,000 to get someone killed, these are dangerous people.
>> I don't think anyone had any idea of where this case was going to go. >> The tips that you have given 48 Hours
now total 33 in nine countries. >> So so lots taken really. >> I work with CBS News. It's a murder for
hire tip that I have. >> It's against a citizen of Taiwan. >> Police received a tip about the murder
for hire plot from the CBS News program 48 Hours. >> Uh Ms. Jones, can I talk to you?
>> We're heading now to California where we have been told an arrest in this case is
imminent. >> Do you understand the terror that you have caused? Why did you do it?
>> The dark [music] web is the place of absolute lawlessness, the internet's evil twin.
>> You can submit your orders to kill the people you hate. I will be waiting for you on the deep
web. >> [music] [music] >> 48 Hours, Click for a Killer, reported by Peter Van Sant. [music]
>> Some days Jane Sharp mourns the loss of her friend, Amy Allwine, by blowing off steam at the gym.
Prosecutors believe Amy's husband shot her in cold blood after his attempt to hire a hitman [music]
failed. >> If you had an opportunity to be alone in a room with Steven Allwine, what would
you like to say or do? >> I'm not sure that would be a good idea. I probably kickbox his ass.
I mean, I would. >> This person seems pretty serious. >> There's a lot of US-based hits, but it's
all over the world as well. I'm >> As prosecutors prepare to try their case against Steven Allwine,
48 Hours began its investigation into the criminal mastermind known as Yura. We blurred our team's faces for security
reasons. >> Hi, it's me, Yura, again. >> Yura had built a dark web empire advertising assassinations for hire, as
described in this video diary he sent us. >> The hitman usually goes to the target's
address, such as home or workplace, and waits for them inside a stolen or rental
car. >> Nothing about Yura, including his diary, can be verified. >> This is his website now. He actually
just rebranded it. >> As reporters, our job is to cover the news. simple, what you can do. in a
shocking turn of events, Yura began sending us the names of targets, turning on his own customers.
It defied logic. We turned that information over to authorities. >> I got you. >> [laughter]
>> One unlikely target, Sydney Minor. >> I got you, officer. >> She's a 22-year-old single mom living in
Clarksville, Tennessee. >> You read it down? What do you say? It's very traumatizing to know that I
could have been that next person. >> Clarksville police summoned Sydney to the station last April after a 48-hour
tip authorities to the plot against her. >> We sat in a little room, and then he's
like, "Someone's trying to murder you." My instant reaction, I just start crying. I was like, "Why?"
>> Someone using the alias Blackjack 85 had messaged Yura's website in early February 2018.
>> You can access it to submit your orders to kill the people you hate. >> Providing Sydney's name, home address,
and other details. >> Target works at Woody's restaurant on Madison Street. >> Sydney is hearing this information for
the first time. >> We'll be moving in a week's time and harder to find. Should be done as soon as possible.
That means kill you. >> Sydney was questioned by a detective. >> And that's when he asked me, "Who do you
think would want to kill you?" And that's when I gave him the four names. >> Sydney names her ex-husband and her
mother's ex-fiancé. Both men were cleared right away. >> And then that left Brandon and Alexis.
>> Brandon States and Alexis Shelton had gone to the same high school as Sydney.
They'd gone on to marry and have a daughter. >> The detective must have asked you, "So,
why would you give me the name Brandon?" What did you tell him? >> Told him that I was pregnant with his
daughter. >> When are you due? >> I'm due September 20th of 2018. It is a girl. >> It's a girl?
>> Mhm. >> You excited? >> Yes, I'm very excited. >> Brandon and Sydney had lost touch after
high school. >> [music] >> During the next four years, Sydney got married, had a son, and divorced.
By September of 2017, she started dating again. >> So, I was actually on a dating site and
he popped up. He ended up messaging me. He's like, "Hey, you look really familiar." And I
was like, "You do, too." >> They started chatting. [music] >> He told me he was a father, that he had
a daughter, and he told me that he had recently gone through a divorce. So, I was like, "Well, I can kind of relate
cuz I was doing the same thing." >> The pair began dating. Brandon was a newly minted Army specialist stationed
at Fort Stewart, Georgia. He made the exhausting 8-hour trip back and forth to Clarksville to see Sydney
on some weekends. >> Did you imagine a future with Brandon? >> Yeah, I was starting to.
>> But in January 2018, when Sydney told Brandon she was pregnant, >> he was not happy.
He wanted me to get an abortion. He gave $400. >> She says he also gave her some
disturbing news. >> He's married. >> Brandon and Alexis were not divorced. >> And [music] he wants to get back with
his wife. I was heartbroken. Finding out that guy I care about is married is not fun.
>> Sydney didn't know it yet, but Brandon was about to allegedly start a new online relationship with a man named
Yuri. >> Hi. Welcome again to the Basin Mafia Diary. >> Having decided against the abortion,
Sydney says she sent back Brandon's $400 and demanded he sort out his personal life before an upcoming deployment in
Korea. >> And I kept asking him, "Have you told Alexis yet?" And he said, "No. I need more time." I said, "Okay.
So, here's the ultimatum. Either you tell her or I'm going to tell her." >> [music]
>> But after a few weeks of waiting, >> I messaged Alexis on Facebook. "I'm pregnant with his child. He told me
he wasn't married, so when I found [music] this >> She says Alexis hinted that this wasn't
the first time she'd had trouble with Brandon. >> She's like, "Good luck in the future.
[music] If the kid is anything like their dad, you'll have your hands full." >> Sydney told Brandon she'd go to military
[music] court if he refused to pay child support. >> He's like, "You're making the wrong
choice here. So much for not fighting." I said, "Oh, well. I think I'm I'm making the best choice here." And he
[music] said, "You'll see." >> You'll see. We'll see like, we'll see who has [music] the last word here.
>> Mhm. Exactly. >> Sydney didn't know that Yuri soon would agree to arrange a hit on her.
And we would soon learn she wasn't the only one. >> I don't like how you can't see around
every corner and then all the bushes. >> In April 2018, Sydney Minor began living
life as a target in a murder for hire plot. >> It's scary. You will never look at life the same
again. >> But just hours after notifying Sydney, Clarksville, Tennessee police informed
the army about 48 hours tip. And the next day in Korea >> Hurry up! >> The detective calls me
and lets me know Brandon has been arrested. He confessed. >> Brandon States [music] was charged with
several military violations, including an attempt of premeditated murder. >> I start crying. [music]
I was streaming tears. Look at her shoes on the glass eye, silly. >> Do you worry sometimes is is there still
a hit man out there that has not done the murder for hire yet? >> Every day. Every day.
Brandon's in custody, [music] but there's no person with a gun in custody. >> Like Amy Allwine, Sydney had been warned
ahead of time. [music] For Amy, it was too little, too late. >> This puppy. >> Sydney feared her ordeal wasn't over.
She says she asked the detective if Brandon's wife, Alexis, was part of the plot.
>> He said we've taken precautions. We don't believe she's a part of it. >> A law enforcement source told 48 Hours,
quote, "There is no evidence at this time [music] that Mrs. Alexis States was involved."
In London, [music] white hat hacker Chris Monteiro had been monitoring Yura's websites as they rebranded and
changed names. >> You're sure this is the Yura that you've been pursuing [music] all this time?
>> Oh, absolutely. >> Chris told us that Blackjack 85 seemed to grow impatient when the hit he'd paid
for didn't happen. The messages are hard for Sydney to hear. >> Yura says to him, "Unfortunately, these
basic hit men sometimes fail as they are low quality for low price. If you could
afford a difference of $5,000, I can assign an expert hit man." >> There's a pattern here similar to the
Allwine case. Yura can't seem to get the job done. Raising Chris Monteiro's suspicions of
whether Yura is really providing hit men. What's more, it struck him that Yura is
always asking for more [music] money. >> But the truth is that most hit men sites
are real. >> This must all be overwhelming. >> Yeah. >> And if this Yura fellow can be found,
what would you like to see happen to him? >> The same fate he's been putting on everyone else.
>> The death penalty? >> Yeah. >> Yura was finished with Sydney, but not with 48 Hours. He tipped us to
yet another plot. >> Last week, police received a tip about the murder for hire plot from the CBS
News program 48 Hours. >> This time, the person who allegedly hired [music] the hit man is a woman
living near Chicago. >> Kenia Jones was allegedly in a wild love triangle accused of trying to pay
thousands in Bitcoin to have her lover's wife murdered. >> Meet 31-year-old registered nurse Tina
Jones. From the outside, Tina and her husband Toby seemed to lead a fairy-tale life, at least according to social
media. >> [cheering] >> But less than two years into her marriage, investigators [music] believe
Tina's eye began to wander and settled on a colleague seen here in his school days.
>> We understand the allegation that she met an anesthesiologist at the hospital and
that they had a relationship. >> Justin Kmitch has been covering [music] the story for the Daily Herald. Tina's
alleged boyfriend was also married to this woman. Authorities believe [music] Tina wanted her dead.
>> The hitman was told to make it look like an accident. Um and that the husband was
not to be harmed in any way in the commission of this crime. >> Acting on [music] our tip, which
originally came from Yura, authorities arrested Tina Jones on April 17th [music] and charged her with six
felonies including attempted murder. Chris Montero says authorities hadn't heeded his warnings about Yura. When he
saw them listening to us, he gave 48 Hours new target information from Yura's sites.
>> 48 Hours, how are you? >> Our team notified authorities from [music] India, >> and we have uncovered potential
murder-for-hire plot. >> Iran, >> please give me a call back as soon as possible.
>> Taiwan, >> and I'm looking to reach anyone within Police Department [music] of Taipei,
>> and Singapore, where in May police armed with our information arrested [music]
this man, Alan Vincent. Vincent was later charged with criminal conspiracy [music]
to murder the boyfriend of a female colleague. >> Hello, I'm Michelle A. Pay Teng from
Today here. >> Wong Pay Teng covered the case for an online newspaper [music] in Singapore
called Today. She says if Vincent is convicted, the notoriously strict Singapore courts may throw the book at
him. >> He's being charged with something that that could get him hanged. >> We've been working this story for
several months now and a tinge of suspicion has crept into our minds. Chris Monteiro has had access to Yura's
database. He knows everything about Yura. And it's time we ask him an important question. With your breadth of knowledge
about Yura, your your backdoor access to what he does, people have wanted me to ask you this
question. Are you >> [laughter] >> Yura? >> I am not Yura. >> [snorts] >> So far, tips made by 48 Hours
>> We should go ahead and make [music] these calls. >> have led to three arrests. Brandon
States in the Tennessee case, Tina Jones in Illinois, and Alan Vincent in Singapore.
>> I think it's amazing. >> But the most shocking arrest was yet to come in a case [music] right out of
Hollywood. >> I never did it for the money. I did it cuz [music] I had a lot of time
on my hands. Now I've got plans to make more plans. >> In Chris Monteiro's forays into the
darkest corners of the dark web, he has seen illegal arms, drugs, and murder-for-hire sites.
>> [music] >> Chris, it's good to see you again. I wanted to touch base with you.
>> After the Tennessee and Illinois arrests last spring, he told us about another
American >> [music] >> targeted for murder on Yura's anonymous website. >> I keep my identity private. I hide my
face, my hands, everything that could help with recognition. >> They've submitted a photo of a woman
called Lori. >> We're not using her last name or showing her face. >> In San Luis Obispo in California, the
person is very, very serious about having Lori killed. >> Seemingly so serious, we immediately
contacted law enforcement. >> We're going to call out to California, a man named [music] Dan Dow. He is the
District Attorney of San Luis Obispo [music] County. This is Peter Van Sant. I just got off
the Skype with a internet expert in London. He has some important information about a murder-for-hire plot
in your county. >> Okay. Certainly very interested in hearing what you have. >> The target is a woman by the name of
Lori. The person says that Lori is evil and wants this kill made. [music] What has been ordered is a hit that
looks like an accident because [music] the customer in this case feels that he or she would become very quickly a
suspect. >> We will definitely make sure that she is protected as possible. >> It's pretty unique to get a a tip from
the media. >> I want to let you guys get on, do your business. >> Dow's team starts its investigation
right away. >> I have an email from Peter Van Sant, background information from the tip that
he just gave us. >> The first order of business, find Lori and make sure she is safe.
>> Our first goal is to locate her. >> Dow immediately alerts San Luis Obispo police, including the supervisor of
detectives, Lieutenant John Bledsoe. >> We don't know whether she's alive at this point.
>> As with the other targets on Yura's hitman sites, Lori [music] is described in detail. She is a blonde, middle-aged
woman who drives a silver Mercedes with a black convertible top. >> We have to [music] consider that that
particular victim's life is in danger. >> Actually, I'm getting a text right now
from one of our detectives. It shows she does live in San Luis. >> The next day, Detective Suzie Walsh
leads colleagues to Lori's home. But there's a problem. >> We did a search of her apartment and
could not find her, which was alarming. >> You're worried has somebody taken her
somewhere, somebody shot her perhaps. [music] >> Right. >> To find Lori, Detective Walsh develops a
ruse to use with her son. >> That someone had simply reported her missing and we needed to find her.
>> Lori's son does find her. >> And I told Lori, no less [music] dramatic than this, but I need you to
come to the police department right away. I don't want you to make any stops. She was very alarmed and she
said, "I will go straight to you." And she did. >> Detective Walsh brings Lori into the
interrogation room. Their conversation [music] is recorded. >> This is so bizarre.
>> [music] >> And I said, "Is there someone that would want you dead?" And that was just an
absolute shock to her. And she cried, she got up, she paced. >> Just minutes later, Lori has an answer.
>> I have a stepson. That's the person that I know. Beau? B E A U Brigham? >> That's when Beau Brigham came to light.
>> In addition to her son from a previous relationship, Lori also has two stepsons, Brandon and Beau, from her
1999 marriage to Jeff Brigham, a successful restaurant and bar owner. >> Lori had co-raised Brandon [music] and
Beau since they were approximately 10 years old. So, she had a very long-standing familial relationship with
them. >> Brandon eventually went into marketing. Beau took his shot at Hollywood [music]
stardom. >> I never did it for the money. I did it cuz [singing] I had a lot of time on my hands.
>> That's him lip-syncing in a music video he co-produced. >> The music video that I saw is compelling
to watch. >> Did you find it impressive? >> It was very impressive. He had a company called Beauflix, where
he did videography and photography in San Francisco. >> Beau Brigham was also into extreme
sports, living life on the edge. >> [music] >> Their lives seemed picture-perfect.
Then, tragedy [music] struck. >> In 2011, Jeff Brigham dies unexpectedly from a massive heart attack. And [music]
Lori really, truly didn't have any knowledge of how to run the businesses. Now, that started a place of contention.
>> Eventually, Lori lost one of the bars. Beau and Brandon successfully sued their
stepmother in 2013 [music] and won a significant judgment. >> Lori becomes in debt to them in excess
of a million dollars. >> Does she have the money to pay them? >> No. >> But she still had assets.
>> If Lori dies, who benefits? >> Beau and Brandon. >> Both stood to gain an inheritance, but
police quickly eliminate Brandon Brigham as a suspect. Detective Anthony Peluso says Beau
became their focus. But to prove him guilty, >> Hi, this is you again. >> they somehow have to prove he is the one
who sent the kill order on his stepmother to Yura's hitman website. >> The email chain provided by Chris
Montero, we I think collectively had no clue what the dark web was when we initially got this case.
>> And just like in the Allwine case, the digital currency [music] Bitcoin is critical to proving a crime was
committed. >> This is a message that was sent to Yura. I have money. I would not put in an
order if I wasn't serious. I'm trying to get these damn [music] Bitcoins in. >> Investigators discovered Bo made a tiny
down payment for the hit on Laurie, sending Yura less than $5. >> Obviously, $5 is not enough money to pay
for a murder. >> Correct. However, it is enough to show that he has had intentions to continue
with this thing. He wanted to make sure that this hitman that's on the dark web actually got the $5 before he gave him
the full $10,000 that was required. >> Then, detectives discover [music] something about the Bitcoin used to pay
for the hit in this case. It had been bought on a website [music] where users had to register with a photo
ID. >> In this case, Bo Brigham uploaded a picture of his California driver's license. We call that
>> [snorts] >> a smoking gun, do we not? So, yes. >> Two months after the San Luis Obispo
police got their tip from Chris Montero and 48 Hours, >> we needed to find out where Bo was.
>> Cops finally have Laurie's suspected tormentor in their sights. >> Woo! >> Creative,
handsome, charismatic, Beau Brigham had it all. This video he co-produced [music] and starred in was seen all over
the world. >> With more than 2 million views online, Brigham now has new people desperately
wanting to see him, to find him. People with a badge who consider this talented artist a danger to society.
>> He had a clear intent to have Laurie murdered. >> Once Laurie is located and safely in
hiding, San Luis Obispo, California detectives, Susie Walsh and Anthony Peluso, focus on finding her stepson.
>> We found that his phone was pinging down in Palm Desert. That's when we made the decision to
actually go down. >> Palm Desert is near the wealthy playground of Palm Springs, California.
Investigators learn Brigham's biological mother, Alexis, lives there. She is a former Hollywood actress who had a bit
role in the 1997 courtroom drama, The Rainmaker. But when police get to her last known
address, nobody's there. >> Do you literally just start working the streets back and forth like a grid?
>> So, that's the intention. >> was the plan. Beau drives a Mercedes Sprinter van. It's pretty easy to spot.
>> After several hours of driving around, the detectives find the van at a Starbucks parking lot.
Beau Brigham's mother, Alexis, drives away. The detectives follow her to this house and approach her in the driveway.
>> The look on her face was, "Oh my gosh, what is this?" She allowed us to go inside the house.
>> They're surprised to find Beau Brigham in bed, who complained he was suffering
from many illnesses, including [music] cancer. >> He would try to divert from the actual
conversation to how sick he is, and I'm dying. I'll be dead tomorrow. I can barely breathe. You know, I'll die in 2
days. >> In 2015, Bo set up this GoFundMe page, where he raised more than $40,000
to allegedly pay for medical treatment. Detectives say they didn't see proof of any official diagnosis.
>> From what we've talked to him and Alexis, he hasn't been diagnosed with anything.
>> He has not. Could he be acting? >> Yes. >> Peluso then confronts Bo with this dark
[music] web kill order, telling Yura, "Look, I need this effing person dead." >> He finally said, "You're right.
Okay, I did it. I sent those." >> But detectives want more than just an admission.
>> There needs to be evidence to support that. >> They seized computers and an iPhone from
the house. So, this is the Central Coast Cyber Forensic Laboratory in San Luis Obispo.
And the man behind me is John Layer. He is a computer forensic specialist, and he will be looking for the evidence.
>> We'll be a fly on the wall, if you don't mind. >> Sounds good. >> For us, it is now a waiting game.
>> Have you ever had a case like this, a dark web case? >> No. This is really an emerging
technology, and I think we're really trying to play catch up in terms of law enforcement.
>> Two days pass, then a whisper. >> I got something here. >> You were saying? >> This is Bo's iPhone.
And one of the first applications that it lists here is something called Tor Browser Pro.
>> Tor is a browser that can access the dark web. >> And so this is evidence. >> Oh, absolutely. We made the decision to
charge Mr. Bow Brigham with solicitation of murder. >> 9:00 a.m. on August 19th in Palm Desert.
>> San Luis Obispo police have just arrived. We're heading now over to the arrest
site. And they're heading for Bow's [music] residence. Just knocked on the door.
Bow Brigham's wake-up call. And in they go. >> This began months ago when we got a tip
from Chris Montero in London about a murder-for-hire plot in San Luis Obispo. >> Bow is now coming out.
>> Bow Brigham is handcuffed. >> We know that you wanted your stepmother murdered, but we don't know why. Why did
you do it? >> I don't I'm just a little I'm tired. I I should be on a ventilator. I'm about
to pass out. I'm dying of dehydration. I'm sick. What the [ __ ] is that? >> Do you understand, Bow, the terror that
you have caused? >> Do you understand my son is very sick? >> We'll get you checked out, man.
You also hired a hitman to take someone's life. >> not. I'm brain dead. I'm in very serious
situation. >> The whole scene is too much for Bow's biological mother, Alexis. >> He never ever wanted anything to happen
to her at all. He was just angry. >> Who admits she knew about Bow hiring a hitman on the dark web.
>> And then I was thinking, "Well, what do we do? Do we contact the police? Do we,
you know, contact Lori?" >> Did you do that? Did you contact Lori? >> No, I was overwhelmed. I didn't know
what to do. >> About a month after Bo's kill order, Alexis [music] tried convincing him to
ask Yura for a refund. >> I told him get it out so they know you're not wanting anything done.
>> Okay, we're going to get going. >> Bo was taken to a nearby hospital. Doctors examine [music] him.
>> They asked him acute symptoms, what are you dealing with today? And when he couldn't name any, basically they ran
his vitals and discharged him. >> Now, Bo Brigham is headed for county jail. Six weeks later, we obtained this letter
from his defense team. Bo Brigham's doctor states, "Mr. Brigham is extremely ill." But he never mentions
cancer or ALS. And just 5 days ago, Bo Brigham agreed to an interview [music] with 48 Hours
in jail, where I asked again, >> "Why did you seek to hire a hitman on a dark website to kill [music] your
stepmother?" >> I didn't. I'm actually terminally ill. >> Investigators believe that you're faking
this. >> That's outrageous. They're insane. >> Bo's anger with his stepmother stems
from his [music] belief that she hasn't supported him during his health problems.
>> She left her own son to die for 4 years. Who does that? >> So, does she deserve a death sentence
for that? >> Absolutely not. >> On April 19th, 2018, Bo, you wrote, "Look, I need this effing person dead."
And you knew exactly what you were doing. >> remember any of this. By the way. >> You gave specifics about your
stepmother. "Look for silver Mercedes with a black convertible top. You gave specific instructions, do
not go through with the job unless it can be done as an extreme clear accident because it will be very easily
traceable. >> is only one way to get anyone's attention and to do something stupid on
site was the only way. I've been emailing Lori to come see me for 4 years now. >> So, you admit you went on the site.
>> I can't remember doing it. I can't remember doing >> over >> I don't remember exactly.
>> and over again. >> I didn't I don't remember writing that. >> Despite Bo's memory issues, despite that
he admitted to both the police and his own mother that he did this, >> No one would do something like this. No
one, especially my son, if he was of sound mind. >> Bo's attorney plans to take this case to
court. >> Mr. Van Sant, the people's case is in a lot of trouble. Be patient. Come to
court. >> We will be waiting for you to come place your orders. >> Chris Monteiro in London says Bo
Brigham's arrest assures him that his work has made a difference. >> I wasn't sure what I was doing really
mattered. Now I can see that it's so important that this information is acted on.
>> Chris hopes the authorities will also find and arrest Yura, who he says is concealing something explosive.
>> They are claiming that all hitman sites are fake. >> Chris Monteiro says through all the
years investigating Yura, >> He assumed Alpha was a real hitman to hire marketplace.
>> through all the murder plots, >> You will never look at life the same again, I promise.
>> All the lives threatened, [music] including his own. >> That was a bit of a shock. It really
was. >> He and Eileen Ormsby reached an explosive conclusion that Yura's murder-for-hire operation is all a big
scam. >> Nobody is being killed. >> What? >> Nobody is being killed. >> It's a scam site, you know, it's
designed to take people's money. >> Always pay with Bitcoin through escrow. >> Turns out Yura is a con man and not some
hitman commander. According to our investigation, he never arranged for a single actual hit.
>> We have hundreds of people who love to kill for money. >> But Yura still insists his websites are
real. >> The hitman don't get paid until the job is done. >> Either way, the most dangerous thing
about him may be his customers. Some so driven to kill that if Yura doesn't get the job done, they might do it
themselves. Like prosecutors allege about Steven Allwine. Just ask Amy's friend, [music]
Jane Sharp. >> College Grove lost a awesome citizen. >> As Steven's trial begins, the state
argues he paid Yura to have Amy murdered. But when Yura didn't deliver, Allwine drugged her and shot her to death
himself. Prosecutor Jamie Kryzer says he wanted out of his marriage, but divorce was
discouraged in his fundamentalist church. >> Marriage was considered a covenant, and
that covenant was not to be broken. >> Defense attorney Kevin Devore countered that authorities never looked beyond
Steven Allwine and that there were other [music] people who may have wanted Amy dead. He says those people could have
left clues at the crime scene, but first responders bungled the investigation. >> They had no fingerprints, no DNA, no
eyewitnesses, they had no confessions. They had very little uh you know, the traditional evidence.
>> After an 8-day trial where Allwine never took the stand, the jury took just 6
hours before convicting him of first-degree murder. Steven Allwine was sentenced to life in
prison without [music] the possibility of parole. >> When it was read guilty, um
he just kind of fell. Um he put his hands in his face and he began to cry. >> He finally shows emotion.
>> Finally. >> The death of Amy Allwine is hard for Chris Montero, too, but for different
[music] reasons. >> It was totally preventable from a law enforcement institution point of view.
>> Today, as we sit here, after all the trauma that you've been through, no one's touched Yura. He's still
operating. >> Yeah. >> Chris Montero says Yura knows there will always be people who believe his sites
are authentic, people who expect him to deliver death when they click for a killer.
So, he remains in business somewhere out there on the dark web. >> Now, an update on our 48-hours dark web
murder-for-hire investigation. In California, Bo Brigham was convicted of soliciting the murder of his
stepmother, Laurie. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison. >> Yeah, I don't even remember actually
doing it and it's not something I wanted. Laurie knows I love her. I mean, it's a really
situation to be honest. >> In Singapore, [music] Alan Vincent pleaded guilty to intentionally abetting
murder and was sentenced to 5 years. In the Tennessee case, Brandon States pleaded guilty to attempted premeditated
murder. He was sentenced through the military court to 15 years. And in the Illinois case, Tina Jones
[music] pleaded guilty to one count of attempted first-degree murder and was sentenced to 12 [music] years behind
bars. >> 48 Hours. To miss it would be a crime. >> Were you at all prepared for what
happened in this case? >> [music] [music] [music] [music]

A "48 Hours" investigation into one murder leads into the dark web and to the disruption of four potential murder-for-hire plots. Correspondent Peter Van Sant investigates in this two-part episode from September 2018. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

The episode investigates the dark web's murder-for-hire services, focusing on the case of Amy Allwine and her husband Steven's conviction for her murder.

Key points

Murder-for-Hire on the Dark Web. 48 Hours explores the alarming world of murder-for-hire on the dark web, exposing an international criminal organization.
The Threat Against Amy Allwine. Amy Allwine received a chilling death threat that hung over her family, including her young son.
The Investigation Unfolds. The investigation into Amy Allwine's death reveals troubling signs and a potential murder plot.
Chris's Discovery. Chris hacks into the Besa Mafia site and uncovers disturbing communications about murder.
The Smoking Gun. Prosecutors find a 34-character code linking Steven Allwine to the murder plot.
Yura's Dark Web Empire. Investigators delve into the dark web to uncover Yura's murder-for-hire operations.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Dog Day God said, "Amy has ruined my life and stolen my business.".

9:26WatchJun 25, 2026

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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