A former Amherst resident is accused of a 'murder for hire' scheme. 56-year-old Debra Arno was arrested for attempting to have her ex-husband and his family murdered. U.S. Attorney Bill Hochul met with reporters Tuesday afternoon at his downtown office. Hochul said a witness told Kenmore Police stated that a hit woman, living in Kenmore, allegedly received $6,000 as part of a larger monetary agreement to kill three people.
"The hit woman showed the letter, which referenced the payment of the $6,000, as well as the understanding of the $20,000 overall cost for this crime, showed that letter to the compliant as well," said Hochul.
Hochul identifies the so-called hit woman as 55-year-old Lauren Frye of Elmwood Avenue in Kenmore. She was arrested and charged. Arno was arrested Saturday living in North Carolina.
Hochul noted the letter was discovered when a search warrant was issued. A police search of the hit woman's residence found multiple documents from Arno, including photos of the ex-husband and his wife, a diagram of their residence and a schedule of the ex-husband's evening activities. Three shotguns were also recovered from the Kenmore woman's home.
Arno is being held without bail and appeared Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Kenneth Schroeder.
The U.S. Attorney announced Wednesday that a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Arno and Frye with conspiracy to commit murder for hire. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.