KEY POINTS

  • The suspect contacted hired killers on the dark web to have her parents murdered
  • She already paid $6,000 of the agreed $20,000 rate
  • The police launched a probe after getting information from a U.K. journalist
  • The investigation led to her arrest

An Australian woman has been charged for attempting to have her parents murdered using hired killers on the dark web.

The 26-year-old woman from Canberra, whose name has not been disclosed to protect the identity of the victims, was arrested on Monday. She has been accused of transacting with a "fraudulent" website that offered to get her parents murdered for the price of $20,000. The police found that she had paid $6,000 toward the agreement.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Policing started an investigation into the case in October after getting a tip-off from a British journalist, who claimed that they had found evidence that a person paid online for the murder of two people, reported ABC.net.au.

dark web
The accused got into a contract on dark web to get her parents murdered. pixabay

The police executed a search warrant at the suspect's residence, where a computer was eventually confiscated.

Financial gain was the motive behind the crime, the police said. The court heard that the parents of the accused were prominent business owners in Canberra.

The accused was charged with two counts each of attempted murder and incite murder. She was also charged with one count of burglary and one count of theft for stealing $15,000 from her parents in September.

ACT Policing Acting Sergeant Beth McMullen said the investigation involved collaboration with international police authorities. "This was a complex investigation due to the report originating overseas, and being able to track and verify the dark web payment," McMullen said.

McMullen described the case as "a very unusual matter" and confirmed that they had obtained evidence from the suspect about the individuals who offered to help with her parents' killing.

"Police believe the actual site itself is fraudulent, however we needed to be very conscious of the frame of mind of the person who made the payment and what that person might be looking at doing in the future," McMullen said.

The suspect's parents were shocked and concerned to hear about the alleged crime. They were completely unaware of the plot until the police informed them. McMullen confirmed that the parents were unharmed as the police quickly interfered in the case, reported Canberra Times.

The accused did not apply for bail and is scheduled to return to court later this month.

RELATED STORIES