Minnesota man agrees to plea deal in Todd County murder-for-hire plot

FARGO (KFGO) – A central-Minnesota man agreed to a plea deal in Todd County District Court that dismissed a murder conspiracy charge 

According to court records, in August 2021, 39-year-old Robert Thomas Sr., of Grey Eagle, Minn., allegedly hired hitmen to kill his father, who was having an affair with his wife.

Thomas pleaded guilty in Todd County District Court to one count of conspiracy to commit burglary and will serve five years of probation.

Todd County Attorney John Lindemann said the deal was struck to have a charge of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder dismissed because it, quote: “would have been difficult for the state to prove at trial.”

A court transcript says Lindemann told the judge that Thomas’s father, Scott, “was not happy” with the plea deal outcome.

The Star Tribune reported that Scott Thomas and Robert Thomas’ wife are still in a relationship.

According to the complaint, Robert Thomas was “upset and feeling vengeful” after learning of his wife’s affair with his father. He admitted he and an accomplice conspired to find someone to break into and “ransack” his father’s Long Prairie apartment.

Robert Thomas also insisted that he told the person not to enter the apartment in the evening as people would likely be home. The person ultimately broke in during the evening hours to find his father home at the time and immediately fled.

In the now-dismissed murder-for-hire complaint, an informant told police Robert Thomas allegedly paid hitmen thousands of dollars to have a relative killed. 

On another occasion, a would-be killer allegedly went to a home in 2021 but didn’t follow through.

An undercover officer met with Robert Thomas on April 6 in the Coborn’s grocery store parking lot in Long Prairie to discuss the desire of having a family member killed and the meeting was recorded via video and audio.

It was revealed during the conversation that Robert Thomas had made several installment payments totaling $10,000 to gang members to kill the family member.

The undercover officer acted as though he was affiliated with the same gang members and agreed a price with Thomas of $50,000, to be paid in installments.

Thomas was later arrested on April 10.