Robert Charles Thomas Sr (photo courtesy of Todd County Sheriff’s Office)
SAUK CENTRE, MN (KDLM) – The Todd County Sheriff’s Office has released more details surrounding a murder-for-hire plot in Sauk Centre.
According to a press release from the Todd County Sheriff’s Office, 38-year-old Robert Thomas Sr was arrested Monday and is facing a first-degree murder conspiracy charge.
Thomas had repeatedly expressed an interest in killing a family member, from whom he believed he might inherit substantial property and who allegedly had a romantic relationship with Thomas’ wife. The target was not identified in any other detail.
Thomas allegedly tried twice to hire a hitman to kill the family member and possibly went through with payment two years ago. An informant told local authorities Thomas had already hired a person to carry out the killing for $10,000 in 2021, but the person did not follow through.
An agent from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) posing as a hitman met Thomas in a Coburn’s grocery store parking lot in Long Prairie on Thursday, April 6th in a car wired for video and sound. Thomas laid out his plan in detail during an hour-long conversation recorded on video.
The agent and Thomas agreed to have the crime take place after Easter weekend unless Thomas had a change of heart.
In order to pay for the crime, Thomas told the agent he would sell off his inherited assets and give the killer $50,000. He also allegedly told the agent he’d previously made plans to carry out the killing himself — prompting the agent to warn Thomas not to carry out that plan.
Thomas was arrested on Monday at his work after telling the agent there was no need to wait to carry out the killing and that he was sure he wanted it done. After his arrest, Thomas admitted to the plot, according to the Todd County Attorney’s Office.
Thomas made his first court appearance in Long Prairie on Wednesday and is scheduled to be back in court on May 1st.
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