CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — A Cumberland County Prison inmate is facing additional charges after allegedly making attempts to hire someone to murder a list of people.
Jonathan Lepperd was arrested on charges of attempted homicide on March 31, 2023. He is accused of attacking and stabbing a female victim multiple times.
On Sept. 25, Cumberland County Prison staff contacted the Cumberland County District Attorney's Office regarding information concerning Leppard. According to the affidavit of probable cause, an inmate reported hearing Leppard making attempts to hire someone to murder a list of individuals, including the victim in his attempted homicide case.
On Oct. 24, detectives interviewed the inmate, who alleged that he heard Lepperd talk about his upcoming case and a "desire to harm those involved in the case."
According to the affidavit, a note was intercepted while being passed from Leppard to another inmate which was a list of names, addresses and vehicles related to the people he hoped would be harmed.
To solicit possible perpetrators, Lepperd allegedly approached inmates with a kidnap or ransom plot designed to raise money to pay someone to kill people on his "hit list."
On Feb. 22, 2024, prison staff were once again contacted by another inmate who alleged that Lepperd was soliciting inmates to kill three people involved in his case.
A reliable informant worked with prison staff and reportedly heard Lepperd solicit homicide requests. He was allegedly heard confirming the victims' names, addresses and work schedules.
According to the affidavit, Lepperd confirmed multiple times that he was not "joking" about this murder plot and took multiple opportunities to describe his mindset for having these people killed.
On March 1, investigators met with Lepperd who allegedly admitted to soliciting other inmates for homicide. According to the affidavit, Lepperd admitted to approaching six or seven inmates to hire someone to carry out his murders.
As a result, Lepperd has been charged with criminal solicitation – murder of the first degree. He remains at Cumberland County Prison.
