A Mississippi judge sentenced a brother and sister from Clinton to prison Tuesday for their involvement in a murder-for-hire plot against their stepfather.
A Tuesday press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Mississippi identified the siblings as Joshua Druid Bryan, 29, and Regan Emily Bryan, 30.
Siblings Hired a Hitman to Carry Out the Hit But He Turned Out to be an Undercover Agent
According to the attorney's office, Joshua and Regan sought to hire a hit man to murder their stepfather in order to "obtain life insurance proceeds."
An affidavit filed in court records in January 2021 states there were discussions of a "million-dollar life insurance policy" on the stepfather payable to Joshua and Regan upon their stepfather's death.
According to court documents, the pair met with a man, who turned into a confidential informant. They say those meetings took place several times at the siblings' homes in Clinton and Pearl, and they discussed finding someone to kill a relative. The so-called hitman turned out to be an undercover agent.
Regan Sentenced to 5 Years, Joshua Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
The attorney's office said Regan was sentenced to 65 months (5 years and 5 months) in prison. According to court records, Regan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit murder for hire in early December 2023, after she initially entered a plea of not guilty back in February 2021.
The attorney's office also said Joshua was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison. According to court records, a jury found Joshua guilty of conspiracy to commit murder for hire and murder for hire following a trial that concluded on Dec. 15, 2023.
