LOS ANGELES
Federal authorities this week arrested a Bellflower woman on federal charges that she contracted with an FBI informant to kill her boyfriend.
In exchange for a portion of the proceeds she expected to collect from a life insurance policy, according to officials.
Rasheeda Johnson Turner, 37, was arrested Wednesday evening and was charged in a criminal complaint with use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder for hire.
Turner, who has used the online monikers “Fiesty” and “Mz. Fiesty,” made her first court appearance Thursday afternoon and was ordered detained pending trial.
The criminal complaint filed in U.S. alleges that Turner sought assistance in murdering her boyfriend – who is identified in court documents by the initials L.G. – so that she could collect the proceeds from his life insurance policy.
Turner told the informant she was the beneficiary of a $150,000 life insurance policy and that she would pay the killer $50,000.
During a series of conversations over the past two weeks that are outlined in the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, Turner told the informant that she initially planned to kill the intended victim herself – and she had obtained “pure acid” as part of the scheme – but feared being discovered and did not follow through with the plan.
In the days after their initial meeting and discussion of the plot on December 4, Turner called the informant and made statements – such as “that fly needs to be swatted” – which the informant interpreted as meaning Turner wanted the murder to occur soon.
During a meeting in a Lakewood park on Dec. 8, Turner told the informant that she wanted the boyfriend killed before he could take her off the life insurance policy and cut off her access to his bank accounts, according to the affidavit.
Turner labeled the murder plot “Operation Dumbo,” and told the informant that she wanted the man killed this week.
Turner had shown the informant an app on her mobile telephone which allowed her to track the location of the victim’s telephone.
On Wednesday, the informant called Turner and asked where the victim was located at that moment. Turner provided the location of the intended victim and confirmed that the informant would be paid for the murder.
The FBI then contacted the victim and arrested Turner.
The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
If she were to be convicted of the murder-for-hire charge alleged in the complaint, Turner would face up to 10 years in federal prison.