CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – A 64-year-old man from Mechanicsburg, Illinois, is facing charges for planning the murder of his former business partner in Florida.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Ben Patrick Mullavey, 64, offered up to $10,000 for the murder.
According to the affidavit, Mullavey said his partner owed him $200,000, and legal proceedings to get that money back were not going well.
Mullavey tried hiring a man to carry out the murder and drove to Sikeston, Missouri, to meet with him to discuss the plan.
During the meeting, Mullavy provided the man with the name and description of his Florida business partner, as well as instructions on how he wanted the murder carried out. He gave the man $1,000 as a deposit, money to cover other expenses, a crossbow with arrows, directions to a restaurant next to the proposed victim’s wine bar, and a Florida license plate to help him blend in.
If convicted, Mullavey faces up to 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
