A US Army sergeant and his brother were arrested for their involvement in a murder-for-hire plot to kill four people, including two children. The scheme was orchestrated by the brother, Joshua Peikert, while he was serving time in a Connecticut jail in 2022. Joshua paid a cellmate to hire someone to carry out the murders. He provided the names and addresses of the intended victims, as well as the location of a hidden spare key at their home.
The cellmate received a $500 finders fee from Joshua, with $250 paid upfront and $250 promised upon completion of the murders. Joshua later discussed the plot using code words with his former cellmate after being bailed out, but was arrested again shortly after. The cellmate sent a letter to one of the intended victims detailing the murder-for-hire plot, leading to a police investigation. The cellmate claimed he had no intention of carrying out the murders and never contacted anyone to do so.
Investigators discovered that Joshua called his brother Jeremiah for money to carry out the plan. They found incriminating conversations between Joshua and Jeremiah, as well as between Jeremiah and the former cellmate. Jeremiah admitted to police that he sent money to his brother’s account at the request of the cellmate, knowing it was for arranging harm to the 29-year-old woman. He claimed he did not know the specifics of the plan and was pressured by his brother and the cellmate to send the money.
Jeremiah was extradited to Connecticut and charged with conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit risk of injury to minors. He stated that he believed the children were not intended targets in the plot. He described his brother as having violent tendencies that he witnessed from a young age and being manipulative. Joshua is facing the same charges and is being held in the Connecticut Department of Correction. The investigation into the murder-for-hire plot is ongoing, with authorities working to ensure the safety of the intended victims and bring those involved to justice.
