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York county man accused of murder for hire arrested a second time for same crime

A York County business man is arrested for the second time in less than two months for the same crime, murder for hire. But this time, it became a family affair...
A York County business man is arrested for the second time in less than two months for the same crime, murder for hire.
But this time, it became a family affair.
His son, arrested too.
It’s a twisted story – one you would think you’d only hear about in the movies.
It was at the York County prison where Gregory Hess committed the same crime a second time.
Initially arrested back in April, police say Hess tried to hire a confidential informant and pay him $31,900 to kill his estranged wife and her boyfriend.
FOX43 was there for Hess’s preliminary hearing.
Police escorted Hess into the courtroom in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs at the beginning of May… a similar scene we will likely see again.

“It’s a very serious case, this is a very serious situation,” said Prosecutor, Dave Sunday about the first murder for hire charge.

Inside the courtroom the confidential informant testified about seeing Hess driving a Lexus SUV.

The informant told Hess that he would, “take off an arm and a leg for that nice of a car”.

The informant says that’s when conversations between the two started and eventually led to Hess offering to pay the informant to kill his estranged wife and her boyfriend.

The informant then called a member of the York County Drug Task Force and tipped him off.

The agent testified, saying police quickly set up surveillance and recorded all interactions.

“There will be evidence presented that corroborates a lot of things that were said. You heard evidence testified about certain recordings and things of that nature and that will come out during the trial and I look forward to playing it for the jury,” says Sunday.

That evidence includes photos police took of the intended target, bound and bloody, with his eyes rolled back in his head, to fool Hess into thinking the job had been carried out.

The officer said he followed the informant to an arranged meeting, in which the informant drove the intended targets truck to that meeting and brought his cell phone to prove he had committed the crime.

He also told Hess, he had his wife.

But Hess changed his mind about his wife – saying he would only pay if she was let go.

Once the informant agreed Hess allegedly handed over the money, police arrested him.

Hess’s defense attorney said he never wanted either killed.

“My client had no intentions of that happening, that wasn’t his intention. I’m not saying my client didn’t have contact with the confidential informant, and they didn’t have an agreement to do something, but it certainly wasn’t to kill,” says Hess’s defense attorney.

But the story doesn’t end there..

While in prison for the first crime, police say Hess tried to hire a fellow inmate to kill the informant he originally hired and who had testified against him.

He allegedly offered to pay the inmante $15,000, half up front, and the rest when the job was done.

When Hess was in court for his preliminary hearing back in May, his family was there as well.

Police say that’s when Hess’s son, Toby, took a picture of the informant for the inmate to use so he would know who to kill.

A few weeks later Hess was out of prison on $10 million dollars bail.

And on Monday, the inmate came forward to police to tell them this story.

Police have arrested both Gregory Hess and his son Toby.

Hess was denied bail Wednesday afternoon.

Stay with FOX43 for updates.

 

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