Missouri – A divorce filing had not yet been completed, but federal prosecutors say a southeast Missouri man was already trying to turn the end of his marriage into something far more permanent.
According to the Department of Justice, the plan included interstate travel, a map of an Ohio property, a rifle and thousands of dollars. On Monday, Matthew R. Alsup admitted in federal court that he tried to arrange the killing of his estranged wife.
Alsup, 52, of Dexter, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of murder for hire. His sentencing is scheduled for October 19.
According to his guilty plea, Alsup traveled to Mississippi twice in early August 2025. During those trips, he attempted to recruit a former tenant of an RV park he owned to carry out the murder.
The FBI learned about the alleged plot before it could move forward. An undercover police officer then met with Alsup on August 14, creating a recorded point of contact between investigators and the planned crime.
During that meeting, Alsup said he wanted his wife killed because she intended to file for divorce. He showed the undercover officer a map of the Ohio property where she was staying and identified what he believed would be the best route to approach the house without being detected.
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Alsup also supplied a .22 Magnum rifle and paid $1,720 in advance. He agreed to pay $5,000 in total for his wife’s killing.
The discussion did not stop there. Alsup offered “a couple extra grand” to have his mother-in-law killed as well if she happened to be at the property when the planned attack occurred.
No killing took place.
The federal murder-for-hire charge carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Alsup could also be ordered to pay a fine of as much as $250,000, or receive both a prison term and a fine.
The FBI and the Poplar Bluff Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Shelton handled the prosecution.
Alsup will remain subject to the federal court process until his October sentencing, when a judge will determine the final punishment for a plan that investigators interrupted before anyone was physically harmed.
