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In 2013, 24-year-old Heather Leann Horst wanted to leave her husband of three years, 25-year-old Brandon James Horst.

Afraid she would lose the home and financial security he provided in a divorce, she took another route.

Heather knew a guy named Aaron William Allen who always fantasized about killing people and discussed with friends how he would get rid of a body and escape police detection.

Heather told the 26-year-old that her husband had a life insurance policy worth 1 million dollars.

She offered him 10 percent of it to eliminate her husband. Aaron was hesitant to risk his freedom for one hundred thousand dollars.

She soon started to say she was being abused and had two miscarriages after being beaten by Brandon.
Her fictional sob stories and an increased offer of 25 percent of the insurance payout convinced Aaron to commit to the job.

They roped in two friends who were going to help kill Brandon and make it look like a burglary. The blood thirsty group went to a few stores, and Horst bought them clothes, shoes, and gloves to wear during the crime.

On August 5th, 2013, Aaron couldn’t reach the two other men, so he had to kill by himself.

Heather let Aaron into the Horst home just after 10 pm and gave him her gun. She told him to “Put at least two or three rounds into him.”

He waited two hours in the basement as Brandon returned home and got ready for bed. Soon, Heather left to pick up her friend Angela, Aaron’s fiance and Brandon’s stepsister. The two went to a local Walgreens.

While Aaron was waiting, he sent texts back and forth to Heather.

Eventually, he went upstairs and shot and killed Brandon while he was sleeping.

He texted Heather “Done” at 12:35 am.

As Heather and Angela drove away from the Walgreens, they picked Aaron off the street. He was taken to a park to dump the weapon in the river.

From there, Horst drove him back to his apartment.

Heather and Angela went back to the Horst home and found Brandon dead. Heather contacted authorities, playing the distraught wife.

When detectives started investigating, witness statements showed that Heather had been telling people she wanted her husband dead.
Cellphone investigations revealed the incriminating conversations between Heather and Aaron.

Within days, both were in custody and facing life in prison.

Aaron pleaded guilty to second-degree intentional murder. He got 40 years in prison in exchange for testifying against Heather.

When Heather went to trial, her defense tried to say Aaron acted alone.

The jury didn’t buy it. They convicted Heather of aiding and abetting first-degree murder. She was given life without parole on May 27th, 2014.