A Tennessee woman, Melody Sasser, has been sentenced to eight years and four months in federal prison for her role in a murder-for-hire plot targeting the wife of a man she met on Match.com. The 48-year-old woman was also ordered to pay $5,389 in restitution to the victim. After serving her prison term, she will be on supervised release for three years.
Sasser’s plot began after she reportedly became upset upon learning that the man she had met online, David Wallace, was engaged and planning to move with his fiancée, identified only as “JW,” to Alabama. Sasser had been friends with Wallace after meeting him on the dating platform in 2020 and had helped him during a hike on the Appalachian Trail. However, when Wallace informed her of his engagement in 2022, Sasser reacted angrily, reportedly telling him, “I hope you both fall off a cliff and die.”
In January 2023, Sasser took her anger to a dangerous level, using a dark web site called the “Online Killers Market” to hire hitmen to kill Wallace’s wife. Sasser paid nearly $10,000 in cryptocurrency and provided details such as photographs and location information about JW. She also requested that the murder appear to be random or accidental and even suggested planting drugs on the victim.
Sasser grew frustrated when the hit was not carried out promptly, repeatedly contacting the site to inquire about delays. In addition to the murder-for-hire attempt, Wallace’s wife had reported incidents of harassment, including her vehicle being vandalized and receiving threatening phone calls from someone using a voice-altering app. JW was so traumatized by the threats that she moved into a hotel, bought a gun, and had her husband check their home for intruders.
Authorities eventually uncovered the plot after a detailed investigation involving Homeland Security and local law enforcement. When they searched Sasser’s home, they found a journal documenting her communications with the hitman website, a list of other hitman sites, and Bitcoin-related notes. Sasser’s attorney stated in court that she had suffered a severe breakdown and expressed remorse for her actions.
Despite her plans, the murder-for-hire plot was unsuccessful, and Sasser was arrested in June 2023. The case highlights the dangerous potential of dark web sites and the tragic consequences of unchecked emotions.
