Oregon Prisoner’s “Macabre and Silly” Murder Contract Nets 20 Years

“Dear Stranger, I have a job for you. I need your help. There are three people I need taken care of,” wrote Dustin M. Kimbrough from his Oregon jail cell. Initially, he wanted someone to kill two of his in-laws, but later added the local prosecutor, in perhaps one of the most bizarre, inept murder-for-hire plots in Oregon history.

In April 2012, Kimbrough, 35, walked into someone’s garage and stole two bags of aluminum cans to recycle for cash. Neighbors saw him and called police. Kimbrough was arrested the next day and booked into the Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facility (NORCOR), where he was celled up with Frank Crowley, 28, a NORCOR frequent flier.

Before long, Kimbrough revealed that he wanted someone to intimidate two witnesses to his burglary and to kill his father-in-law and brother-in-law, according to Senior Assistant Attorney General Bumjoon Park, who was brought in from the Oregon Department of Justice to prosecute the case. Sometime later, Kimbrough added Wasco County District Attorney Eric J. Nisley to his hit list.

According to Park, when Kimbrough asked if he knew anyone who might do the killing, Crowley “freaked out.” Of course, he also recognized the “get out of jail free card” that Kimbrough was handing him, so he conjured up a fictional hit man who would gladly do the job.

Crowley then snuck a “kite” to guards, asking them to speak with detectives. When he laid out the outlandish story, investigators weren’t buying it. But then Crowley revealed that Kimbrough intended to write up a contract, detailing terms and conditions of the murders; detectives told Crowley to come back when he had the contract.

Kimbrough worked through several drafts before finally settling on a three-page contract, penned in red ink, that he eventually gave Crowley, according to Park.

The “contract” opens with a long list of accusations and grievances against his in-laws. He admits that he had been living out of his SUV and committed the burglary to buy food. Nevertheless, he agrees to pay the phantom hit man $80,000 for the three murders, apparently from guns, jewelry, money, and life insurance information that his in-laws keep in a safe.

Kimbrough tells the would-be killer that Babygirl, Dixie and Luca - his three dogs - are at the residence. Though it’s unclear why he wanted the hit man to know this.

His father-in-law should be found dead of an apparent heart attack, writes Kimbrough. How the hit man accomplishes that is apparently left to his or her expertise and discretion. Likewise, his brother-in-law’s death should look like an overdose. For District Attorney Nisley’s death, he wrote, “your choice.”

Crowley turned the contract over to detectives and was released on probation. He was soon back, however, on a new burglary charge that sent him to prison until October 2017.

Kimbrough’s ridiculous contract was the proverbial “smoking gun,” and served as the key evidence against him during a bench trial before a judge from another county. Kimbrough was convicted of attempted solicitation of murder and attempted aggravated murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Kimbrough’s competency was apparently never questioned.

Kimbrough’s contract sets new heights for the “macabre and silly,” said Park. “But, it was deadly serious.”

Source:The Oregonian