These Siblings Decided To Hire A Hitman To Murder Their Stepdad So They Could Get Their Hands On His Life Insurance Money
A brother-sister pair from Mississippi has been sentenced to federal prison after attempting to hire a hitman to murder their stepfather. The motive behind their “murder for hire plot” was their stepfather’s life insurance proceeds.
Joshua Druid Bryan, who is 29, and his sister, 30-year-old Regan Emily Bryan, were listed as the beneficiaries of a family trust worth about $6 million.
According to a criminal complaint that was filed in January 2021, Regan met with a confidential informant at her home in Pearl, Mississippi, in December 2020 and outlined her desire to murder her stepfather.
During her meeting with the informant, she alleged that her stepfather had assaulted her in the past, and she wanted him to be killed.
Regan later testified that beginning in November 2020, she and Joshua had spoken about murdering their stepfather.
At that point, Joshua reportedly urged her to ask a criminal friend “if they knew anybody that would handle the problem.”
It was December 8, 2020, when Regan informed her brother via a phone call that a recently released felon would be visiting the home. Joshua told Regan to make a “proposal” three different times during the call, based on court documents.
After Regan told the informant that she wanted her stepfather dead, he offered to commit the crime. In response, Regan claimed she’d “take care of him for the rest of his life.”
The informant ultimately told the FBI about Regan’s request and began recording his conversations with both Regan and Joshua. The sibling duo’s stepfather was also informed about the murder plot.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
During a December 10, 2020, conversation that took place in a parking lot, Joshua told the informant to “do what he saw fit.” In another recorded conversation, alibis and payment for the hitman were discussed.
Weeks later, a meeting on December 30 was recorded on video. That day, Joshua reportedly wrote something down on paper, showed the message to the informant, and walked outside to burn it afterward.
“Tell your boy to come on. I’ll make sure he gets paid handsomely,” the message said, according to the informant’s testimony.
The brother-sister pair met with the informant again, as well as the “hitman” who was actually an undercover agent, on January 7. More notes were written regarding how the murder would occur, which were also destroyed.
Regan and Joshua were ultimately arrested in January 2021, and they were sentenced on November 26, 2024. Regan received a 65-month prison sentence and previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit murder for hire. Joshua was sentenced to 120 months behind bars.
“He was previously found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder for hire and murder for hire following a trial that concluded on December 15, 2023,” states a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.
More About:True Crime