History of Rape at Air Force Academy 1
Victim's Mom on Why Killer Needs to Die 2
Missing Model's Birthday Energizes Search 3

Deborah Houston, Moron of the Day: Hires Cop to Kill Son-in-Law, Burn Down Lawyer's Office

By Pete Kotz in Stupid Criminals, homicide
Monday, November 8, 2010 at 11:46 am
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I think it's safe to say that America no longer excels in the murder-for-hire business. Meet Deborah L. Houston, the latest example in our decline in the art of killing people for money. It seems the 55-year-old woman from New Carlisle, Ohio was embezzling from her employer...

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The sizable Deborah might have considered just smushing her accusers to death, but that would have entailed missing reruns of Two and a Half Men
Her crime was especially heinous because said business is Houston Machine Products, which is owned by her family. Police were investigating those embezzlement charges when they received a tip that Deborah wanted to whack some of her accusers. At the top of her list was her son-in-law.

You will notice from Deborah's photo that she doesn't exactly look like the active type, making murder a difficult proposition. So she thought to herself, "Hmmm, maybe I'll just hire someone to kill my son-in-law. That way I won't miss any reruns of Two and a Half Men!"

But since there likely aren't too many proficient contract killers in Carlisle, Ohio -- or at least any with available schedules -- she decided to hire an undercover cop. Under the deal, Deborah would pay $2,500 in front money, then another $2,500 upon execution.

So police staged the death of her son-in-law, then went to Deborah to get the final payment. That's when she informed the faux hitter that she also wanted him to burn down the office of lawyer James Peifer. He supposedly possessed evidence of her embezzlement, and she supposedly had other relatives on her killing to-do list.

After staging the son-in-law's death, police brought her down to the station to inform her of the tragic news. That's where Deborah put on a teary performance worthy of a community theater production of Miss Saigon, weeping and bawling like a canned ham at Easter dinner.

Alas, her performance wasn't good enough to move the critics -- i.e. police -- who charged her with conspiracy to commit aggravated murder and aggravated arson.

See our last tale of murder for hire: Wofford Webb Offered Truck as Payment in Wife Swap Hit on Ex & Her New Boyfriend.

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