Army sergeant charged with murder-for-hire to kill children

NORWICH, Conn. (Court TV) – Two brothers, one of whom is a sergeant in the US Army, are accused of plotting the murders of a woman, her young children and her boyfriend.

Jeremiah (R) and Joshua (L) Piekert (Connecticut State Police)

Investigators say they were alerted to Sgt. Jeremiah and Joshua Peikert’s sinister plan after the intended victim received a letter. In an arrest warrant reviewed by Court TV, Connecticut State Police said the victim, identified only as a 29-year-old woman, called police after receiving a letter from an inmate at Corrigan Correctional Center warning her of a plot to kill her. and her family.

Police spoke to the inmate who wrote the letter and who was previously Joshua’s cellmate. He said Joshua approached him and said he wanted to kill the victim along with her children, ages 10 and 1, and her boyfriend. The witness told Joshua that he would take the job for a “finder’s fee” of $500, half to be paid before and half after the job was completed.

When police spoke to the inmate, he handed them a piece of paper with the victim’s address written on it, a description of where the victims would sleep and the location of a spare key to the home.

Phone records reviewed by police indicated that Joshua, after being released from jail, discussed a “construction job” and “materials” with the inmate, additionally confirming that Jeremiah had transferred a total of $250 to the inmate’s jail account.

Detectives agreed to question Jeremiah at Fort Cavazos, Texas, where he was stationed. During that interview, he admitted that his younger brother had asked him to transfer money to the prisoner, but denied knowing that this was to pay for a murder.

“I knew the ‘construction job’ had nothing to do with any actual construction,” Jeremiah told police. “I knew the ‘job’ was related to Victim #1 being injured. I was not privy to the details, but knew the money I sent was paid to Witness #1 for his role in arranging of the pain of victim #1. “I didn’t believe the children were supposed to be involved in this plan.”

Jeremiah told officers that Joshua had “exhibited violent tendencies” since childhood and described him as “manipulative.”

Detectives have not detailed what relationship existed between the brothers and the victim, or what alleged motive.

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