A man from Illinois has confessed to attempting to arrange the murder of a business associate in Florida. Ben Patrick Mullavey, aged 66, from Mechanicsburg in Sangamon County, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau. He admitted to a felony charge of using interstate commerce facilities for attempted murder-for-hire.
Mullavey's plea involved an admission that he offered money to a former employee to carry out the murder. The incident began on January 3, 2024, when Mullavey picked up the employee in Missouri and took him to a McDonald’s restaurant. At the restaurant, Mullavey revealed a stack of cash and said he wanted his business partner dead. Later, on January 11, the employee visited Mullavey’s house, staying over the next three days. During this period, they discussed the murder while working on construction tasks. Mullavey claimed that he had planned the murder for several months, conducted surveillance on the intended victim in Florida, and stolen a license plate for the crime. He suggested the optimal time and place for the murder and ways to avoid surveillance detection. Moreover, they discussed methods of disposing of the body, which included using lime for dissolution. These conversations were captured on audio and video recordings.
On January 13, the employee left with instructions to kill the victim. Mullavey provided him with a crossbow, arrows, the stolen license plate, handwritten directions to a restaurant near the victim’s place of business, and $2,100 in cash.
Mullavey’s sentencing is set for July 22. The charge he faces carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton handling the prosecution.
