Texas Woman Sentenced to 10 Years of Imprisonment in Connection with Murder for Hire Plot

Press Release

Memphis, TN - Ashley Grayson, 35, of Dallas, Texas was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for her conviction related to a murder-for-hire conspiracy that, if successful, would have resulted in the death of a Southaven, Mississippi woman. Reagan Fondren, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.

Ashley Grayson ran an internet-based business and gained notoriety from her online presence. In 2021, Grayson had a falling out with a woman from Southaven, Mississippi who operated an online business similar to Grayson's. Grayson suspected the Southaven woman of creating fake online profiles that criticized Grayson and her business. The pair never met in person.

In August 2022, Grayson asked a Memphis woman, with whom she had worked in the past, to fly to Dallas to discuss a "business opportunity." The Memphis woman and her husband went to Dallas in early September 2022 and met with Grayson and her husband. Grayson offered to pay the Memphis couple to kill three different people: the Southaven woman, Grayson's former boyfriend, and a Texas woman who had recently made negative social media posts about Grayson. Each one of these killings had a value to Grayson of at least $20,000.

On September 10, 2022, the Memphis woman video-recorded a call to Grayson where Grayson confirmed that she wanted the Southaven woman killed as soon as possible and offered an extra $5,000 for the murder to be carried out in the next week.

Later, the Memphis couple sent Grayson a picture of police lights from an unrelated incident in Memphis under the guise that they had attempted to carry out Grayson's murder-for-hire but were unsuccessful. They demanded $10,000 (half of the promised price) from Grayson for the attempt. The Memphis couple went to Dallas where they met with Grayson and her husband and received $10,000 from them for the "attempt".

In July 2023, a grand jury in the Western District of Tennessee returned a one-count indictment for Use of Interstate Facility in Commission of Murder-for-Hire in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1958 against both Ashley Grayson and her husband, Joshua Grayson. The case proceeded to trial in March 2024 where, after a week-long trial, a jury acquitted Joshua but found Ashley Grayson guilty as charged.

On October 31, 2024, United States District Court Judge Thomas L. Parker sentenced Ashley Grayson to 120 months, the maximum sentence of imprisonment available for a violation of 18 U.S.C. §1958, and three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

Acting U.S. Attorney Fondren said, "This was 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. 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. The proactive response from the investigating agencies and our prosecutors prevented an even more serious crime from occurring."

"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."

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Acting U.S. Attorney Fondren thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Neal Oldham and Bryce Phillips who prosecuted this case on the government's behalf, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated this case.

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Updated November 18, 2024