A US Army sergeant has been charged along with his incarcerated brother in a botched murder-for-hire plot against a couple and two children, officials said.
Servicemember Jeremiah Peikert, 30, was accused of conspiring with his 32-year-old brother Joshua Peikert to hire a hitman to kill a 29-year-old woman, her boyfriend, and two kids aged 10 and 1 year old.
Joshua solicited a cellmate to hire the hitman in 2022 and gave him information about the targets and where they slept.
Jeremiah admitted to paying the cellmate but denied planning to kill the children.
The cellmate contacted the targeted woman detailing the brothers’ plot and revealing that only wanted to collect money from them. The woman then called Groton Police.
“At no time did I have any intention of hiring a hitman or committing any violence,” the cellmate told detectives.
