Overview

• Jeal Sutherland, 57, pleaded guilty on May 14, 2025, to using an interstate commerce facility in a murder-for-hire scheme targeting his romantic rival.
• Sutherland's elaborate plot included plans to dispose of the victim's remains by feeding them to pigs on a Pennsylvania farm, which was part of an FBI undercover operation.
• The FBI infiltrated the scheme using informants who posed as a hit man and a hog farmer, preventing the planned murder and ensuring the victim's safety.
• Prior to the murder plot, Sutherland engaged in intimidation tactics, including hiring someone to burn the victim's mother's car and leaving a dead Canada goose with a threatening note at her doorstep.
• Sutherland remains in custody and faces sentencing on September 22, 2025, with potential penalties of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.