Former corrections officer sentenced for murder-for-hire plot

A former federal corrections officer from Arizona will spend five-years in prison for trying to set up a hit on her former romantic partner.

Jessica Diane Ferrell pleaded guilty to charges of bribery and falsification of records. In addition to prison time, a judge sentenced her to three-years of supervision after her release.

Ferrell was a corrections officer at the FCC Tucson Bureau of Prisons Facility. In March 2016, she enlisted an inmate’s help in arranging the murder of her former romantic partner. She agreed to provide the prisoner with contraband in exchange for the hit. Ferrell also gave the inmate a picture of her ex, and a map to her former partner’s home.

Ferrell changed her mind about the agreement shortly after receiving the inmate’s list of desired contraband. She reported the list to her supervisor without revealing her arrangement. She also failed to warn her ex-partner about the potential threat.

A subsequent investigation uncovered Ferrell’s plot, and led to her prosecution.