MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Dallas, Texas woman was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for her part in a murder-for-hire conspiracy that if successful, would have resulted in the death of a Southaven, Mississippi woman in 2022.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, Ashley Grayson, 35, ran an internet-based business, and in 2021, she had a falling out with a woman from Southaven who operated a similar business.
Reports say Grayson suspected that the woman was creating fake online content criticizing her and her business. The two women never met in person.
In 2022, Grayson contacted a Memphis woman she knew and asked her to fly to Dallas to discuss a “business opportunity.” The woman and her husband flew to Texas the next month to speak with Grayson and her husband.
Grayson reportedly asked the couple to kill three people: the Southaven woman, Grayson’s ex-boyfriend, and a Texas woman who had recently made negative social media posts about Grayson.
She was willing to pay the couple at least $20,000 per killing, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
On September 10, the Memphis couple recorded a call to Grayson where she confirmed that she wanted the Southaven woman killed as soon as possible, stating that if the couple carried out the killing in the next week, she would award them an extra $5,000.
Reports say the couple sent Grayson a photo of police lights from an unrelated incident, and stated that they had tried to kill the woman but were unsuccessful. They then demanded $10,000 for the attempt, which was half the promised price.
The couple flew to Dallas and collected the $10,000 from Grayson and her husband.
In July 2023, a grand jury in the Western District of Tennessee returned a one-count indictment for Use of Interstate Facility in Commission of Murder-for-Hire against both Ashley Grayson and her husband Joshua Grayson.
In March 2024, the case went to trial, where Joshua Grayson was acquitted by a jury and Ashley Grayson was found guilty as charged.
Ashley was sentenced on October 31 to 120 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release.
“This was a 21st-century crime where online feuds and senseless rivalries bled into the real world. The defendant tried to hire someone to murder a woman over things that happened exclusively on the internet,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren. “Fortunately, no one was physically hurt in this case, but the victim and her family still felt a severe and emotional impact as the result of the defendant’s actions.”
WREG spoke with the woman at the center of this case and though she didn’t want to appear on camera, she said she’s thankful that justice is finally being served but knows this process is not over yet.