Husband pays ‘hired killer’ $1,720 advance to murder his wife, mother-in-law

A Dexter, Missouri man on Monday pleaded guilty to trying to arrange the murder of his estranged wife.

Matthew R. Alsup, 52, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to a murder-for-hire charge.

Mr Alsup admitted travelling to Mississippi on two occasions in early August 2025 to try to recruit a former tenant of the RV park he owned to kill his wife.

The FBI learned of the plot, and an undercover police officer met with Mr Alsup on August 14.

Mr Alsup told the undercover officer that he wanted his wife killed because she planned to file for divorce.

He showed the officer a map of the property where his wife was living in Ohio, recommended the best way to approach the house to avoid detection, and provided a .22 Magnum rifle to use and a $1,720 advance.

Mr Alsup agreed to pay a total of $5,000 for the murder of his wife and “a couple extra grand” to kill his mother-in-law if she was also there.

Mr Alsup is scheduled to be sentenced on October 19. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.