Police arrested a New Braunfels man in early July for allegedly trying to hire a hitman to kill a Comal County sheriff’s deputy who was also his ex-father-in-law.
Dillon Scott Dees, 33, allegedly approached a man on June 26 and asked if he knew someone who could “carry out a murder for compensation,” according to the federal affidavit.
At the time, he was unaware the man he allegedly approached was a confidential source (CS) for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
Dees was reportedly searching for someone to kill the sheriff because Dees thought the intended victim was negatively influencing his divorce and child custody battle.
“DEES told the CS that his ex-wife was attempting to move to Ohio with their daughter and that his former father-in-law was a problem for him,” read the affidavit.
“DEES stated his former father-in-law is a local police officer and that he has tried to involve local law enforcement in child custody issues with his ex-wife but nothing is done, which he believes is due to his former father-in-law being an officer.”
The CS said he would try to find someone to complete the hit. The CS then contacted a DEA official, provided Dees’ phone number, and reportedly confirmed the identity by comparing two photos.
The DEA official confirmed with the sheriff, identified only as “VICTIM 1” in the affidavit, that he was Dees’ former father-in-law and that his daughter planned to move to Ohio.
Later that night, the CS called Dees, who allegedly confirmed that he wanted to go through with the plans discussed earlier in the day.
“CS told DEES he has a guy in the valley and can give him the phone number. DEES asked to talk in person and think about it overnight,” stated the affidavit.
The next day, Dees apparently met with the CS, who was wearing recording equipment, to discuss payment.
“DEES stated he would pay the ‘hitman’ the equivalent of $27,000 in Bitcoin. DEES told CS that using Bitcoin would make the payment untraceable,” per the affidavit.
The affidavit also alleged that the CS asked Dees why he wanted to hire a hitman, and Dees “explained that VICTIM 1 is the reason his ex-wife wants to move to Ohio and accused his ex-wife of being the reason he was convicted of a theft charge for which he was on probation.”
Dees purportedly told the CS that he had a court hearing in July to discuss whether his ex-wife would be allowed to move to Ohio, and the outcome of the hearing would determine whether he wanted to hire the hitman.
The recordings were sent to the FBI, which obtained a warrant for Dees’ arrest.
Dees was charged with the use of interstate commerce in the commission of murder for hire. He could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
The charges might be amended during the trial process.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Bemporad heard the case last week and ordered Dees to be held without bond pending trial. Bemporad cited a pending theft case from October 2020 as a reason for the decision, per the San Antonio Express-News.