A woman from Dallas, Texas, who ran a successful online business, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for plotting to hire someone to commit murder.
Ashley Grayson, 35, was well-known for her online presence. She called herself a bestselling author, an eight-figure business coach, a course creator, and a philanthropist on her Instagram profile.
But things took a dark turn in 2021. Grayson had a falling out with another woman from Southaven, Mississippi, who also ran a similar online business. Although they’d never met in person, Grayson was convinced the other woman was behind fake social media accounts spreading negative comments about her and her business.
In August 2022, Grayson reached out to a woman from Memphis, someone she had worked with before, and invited her and her husband to Dallas, claiming it was for a “business opportunity.” When they arrived, Grayson made a shocking offer—she wanted to pay them to kill three people: the Southaven woman, an ex-boyfriend, and another Texas woman who had posted critical comments about her on social media. She promised at least $20,000 for each murder and even offered an extra $5,000 if the first killing happened quickly.
The Memphis couple played along but had no intention of actually going through with it. To make it look like they’d tried, they sent Grayson a photo of police lights from an unrelated incident in Memphis. They then demanded $10,000 from Grayson for their so-called “attempt.” Grayson paid them the money during another meeting in Dallas.
The plot started to unravel, and in July 2023, a Tennessee grand jury charged Grayson and her husband, Joshua, with using an interstate facility to plan the murders. At the trial in March 2024, the jury found Grayson guilty, but her husband was acquitted.
Last month, Grayson was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison—the maximum allowed for her crime. She’ll also have three years of supervised release once she’s out, but she won’t be eligible for parole since this is a federal case.
“This was a modern-day crime where online drama spilled into the real world,” Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren said. “Thankfully, no one was physically harmed, but the emotional impact on the victims and their families was severe. Quick action by law enforcement and prosecutors stopped this from becoming something even worse.”
This case is a chilling reminder of how far some people will go over internet feuds.
