U.S. v Jerry Dean Ashburn and Allen Davis (“Life Imitates Art”)

In 1993, prosecuted two defendants for conspiracy to commit murder for hire. Ashburn had previously shot intended victim Ed Bumgartner and another individual, who was in fact killed, then dumped them both in a farmhouse and set fire to it. After being convicted of the original crimes (murder, attempted murder, arson) Ashburn contacted Davis, who harbored an unrelated grudge against the victim-survivor Bumgartner, from prison. We arranged for them to “hire” an undercover FBI agent posing as a hitman and staged the murder of Bumgartner, including creating graphic photos of his “corpse” as proof. Both pled guilty on the morning of trial. Ironically, the undercover FBI agent is now imprisoned for the bludgeoning death of his son’s girlfriend, using two claw hammers.