Elwood murder for hire case to trial court

ELWOOD, Neb. (KSNB) - An Elwood woman charged with murder for hire is headed to trial court.

39-year-old Valerie Miller is charged with five counts of attempted murder, murder conspiracy, and terroristic threats. Tuesday Miller waived a probable cause hearing and her case was transferred to Gosper County District Court. Her next hearing is November 14th.

A probable cause affidavit describes how she allegedly made plans to meet up with an undercover investigator with the Nebraska State Patrol. The two had been in contact on a social media app, court documents said, as Miller was looking for someone to buy her a gun, but was unaware the individual was an undercover trooper.

Those documents show the pair had planned and then met in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart in Lexington. During that conversation, agents said Miller asked if the undercover agent could purchase a gun for her, specifically a revolver.

During that same conversation, court documents said Miller stated she wanted several individuals “not living.” When asked who that was, Miller stated that it was her ex-husband’s girlfriend, the girlfriend’s three young children, as well as the girlfriend’s adult son.

The undercover agent explained that it would cost Miller $1,000 per person. Court documents go on to outline how Miller gave the agent details about the home where all the people were living and described hours that would work to go inside.

The conversation would continue, with the undercover agent suggesting that having the children murdered as well was probably not in Miller’s best interest as they “posed no threat to her.”

According to the court records, Miller ultimately agreed with the agent and they allegedly made a deal that he would only carry out two murders, on her ex-husband’s girlfriend and the girlfriend’s adult son, for a total of $2,000.

The agent asked for a down payment to which documents said Miller responded she had no extra money and she would pay them at the end of the week, the investigator states in the affidavit.

Miller then left the parking lot and was pulled over a few minutes later by three NSP-marked vehicles.

Since her arrest, the ex-husband’s girlfriend has filed protection orders on behalf of herself and her children. She said in those documents that she had “No clue this was going on” and learned of the plot after Miller’s arrest by NSP agents. It also said in the documents that Miller had lived at the home she described to the undercover agent since the summer.

Miller’s bail was set at 10% of $500,000.