Knoxville man arrested for trying to hire someone to kill wife

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - According to court documents filed in Federal court in Knoxville, Nelson Paul Replogle was arrested on April 21 after FBI agents received a tip from the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) about someone providing Bitcoin online to hire someone to kill his wife. An Anonymous person reached out to the BBC with the tip for authorities.

The Knoxville office of the FBI contacted the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and advised them of the threat. Deputies were sent to the victim’s home in Knox Co. to check on her wellbeing.

FBI Agents conducted an interview with the victim and her husband Nelson Paul Replogle.

In court documents, agents said that Replogle stated that he didn’t solicit the murder of his wife and could not think of anybody who did.

The BBC was able to provide transaction information from an unnamed source to the FBI that showed that Bitcoin used to make the payment to the murder-for-hire website was traced back to a Coinbase wallet owned by Replogle. The IP address associated with the Coinbase wallet and a bank account that transferred funds into Coinbase also led to Replogle.

Agents said in the complaint that payment was made with the understanding that the victim would be killed while traveling from her home to a veterinarian appointment.

Court documents reveal that Replogle used First Horizon bank account to purchase the Bitcoin used to make the payment to the murder-for-hire website.

Replogle has been charged in federal court with Murder for Hire and is scheduled back in court on May 26.

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