An influencer has learned her fate after paying somebody to murder three people she didn't like.
Ashley Grayson - from Dallas, Texas - used to run a popular business online where she was touted as an eight-figure business coach and philanthropist.
After garnering a pretty loyal fanbase, her followers were shocked to find out that she was arrested and charged with a crime related to a murder-for-hire conspiracy.
Earlier this month, the United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee confirmed that back in 2021 the 35-year-old had contacted a friend and their partner in Memphis and asked her to fly to Dallas to discuss a "business opportunity" which involved a $20,000 reward in return for killing three people.
The three included Grayson’s ex, as well as a bitter rival who ran a similar online business in Southaven, Mississippi, and also an online hater who she accused of creating "fake profiles" of her to talk negatively about her work, according to a report published by authorities on November 18.
On September 10, 2022, the Memphis woman video-recorded a call to Grayson where she confirmed that she wanted the unnamed Southaven woman killed "as soon as possible" and even offered up some extra cash if it could be fast-forwarded to the following week.
The Memphis couple who were set to carry out the killings ended up sending Grayson a picture of police lights from an unrelated incident under the guise that they had attempted to carry out Grayson’s murder-for-hire but were unsuccessful.
As a result, they demanded $10,000 and received the said amount after meeting with Grayson and her husband - who was also investigated but later acquitted - in person.
Speaking of the case, acting U.S. Attorney Fondren described it as "a twenty-first century crime where online feuds and senseless rivalries bled into the real world".
"The defendant tried to hire someone to murder a woman over things that happened exclusively on the internet," Fondren continued. "Fortunately, no one was physically hurt in this case, but the victim and her family still felt a severe and emotional impact as the result of the defendant’s actions."
On October 31, 2024, Judge Thomas L. Parker sentenced Grayson to 120 months - which is the equivalent to 10 years - in prison for the violation as well and three years of supervised release afterward.
She will not be eligible for parole.
"This murder-for-hire plot underscores the strength of joint federal law enforcement efforts to ensure the safety of the citizens in our community," said Special Agent in Charge Joe Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office, Memphis Resident Agency.
"This sentence demonstrates the commitment of the FBI and our partners to investigate violent crimes and root out those who seek to prey on the public," he added.
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