A Colonie man will serve just over seven years in prison for orchestrating a bizarre murder-for-hire plot that unfolded between November 2024 and January 2025.
Jeal Sutherland, 58, was arrested on Jan. 27, 2025, and sentenced Tuesday in connection with the scheme.
Prosecutors said the intended target shares a child with Sutherland’s former partner. Authorities revealed that Sutherland attempted to recruit a man to carry out the killing, allegedly offering to forgive a debt in exchange for help.
Investigators also said Sutherland sought to pay for the use of a Pennsylvania farm, planning for pigs to dispose of the victim’s body. However, the farmer he contacted was actually an undercover agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
In another disturbing act, prosecutors said Sutherland directed a man to leave a dead Canada goose on the doorstep of the intended victim’s mother, along with a threatening note.
Authorities confirmed that the intended victim was never harmed.
