On October 1st, 2021, a Colorado resident named Jack Sawyer pleaded guilty to charges related to a murder-for-hire plot in Vermont. The case has garnered national attention due to its disturbing nature and the fact that Sawyer was only 18 years old at the time of his arrest.
According to court documents, Sawyer had been planning to commit a mass shooting at his former high school in Vermont. However, when he was unable to obtain a firearm, he instead turned to a murder-for-hire scheme. Sawyer allegedly contacted a woman in Vermont and offered her $5,000 to kill a couple who owned a nearby business. The couple had reportedly fired Sawyer from his job at their store several years earlier.
The woman contacted the police and reported Sawyer’s plan. Law enforcement officials then set up a sting operation, posing as hitmen hired by the woman. Sawyer met with the undercover officers and provided them with a map of the couple’s home and instructions on how to carry out the murder.
Sawyer was arrested in February 2018 and charged with attempted aggravated murder, attempted first-degree murder, and attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges and his case went to trial in 2018. However, the trial was halted after defense attorneys argued that Sawyer’s plan was not concrete enough to constitute an attempted crime.
The case was then sent back to prosecutors, who refiled charges against Sawyer in 2020. This time, Sawyer pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder and one count of attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. As part of his plea deal, he will serve 20 years in prison with the possibility of early release after 10 years.
The case has raised questions about the prevalence of mass shootings and other violent crimes in the United States, as well as the role of mental illness in such incidents. Sawyer had reportedly been diagnosed with several mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, and autism spectrum disorder.
The case has also highlighted the importance of law enforcement efforts to prevent violent crimes before they occur. In this case, the woman who Sawyer contacted was able to alert the police and prevent a potentially deadly attack.
Overall, the case of Jack Sawyer serves as a sobering reminder of the dangers of violent extremism and the need for continued efforts to prevent such incidents from occurring. While Sawyer’s guilty plea may bring some measure of closure to the victims and their families, it is clear that much work remains to be done to address the root causes of violence in our society.
