A 44-year-old substitute teacher in Ohio has been arrested in connection with a bizarre murder plot in which she allegedly hired a high school student to kill her husband during their ongoing divorce.
Stephanie Demetrius was arrested last week and charged with one count of felony conspiracy to commit a crime, according to court records obtained by Law&Crime.
According to court documents obtained by Columbus, Ohio ABC affiliate WSYX, Demetrius, whose last name is also listed in jail records as “Demetrious,” approached an unidentified student at the Academy for Urban Scholars High School on March 26 and offered him $2,000 to murder her husband, who has not been identified in reports. The student’s age was also not disclosed.
After allegedly giving the student a “down payment” of $250 in cash, authorities reportedly recorded a conversation between Demetrius and the student in which she repeatedly reassured the student that she was good for the remaining balance owed. According to WSYX, she claimed to be aware that he was due an additional “15.”
According to the Columbus Dispatch, Demetrius took significant steps to further the alleged murder plot. For example, she allegedly gave the student detailed information about her husband and their children’s schedules, including when they would and would not be at home.
She reportedly told the would-be murderer that her husband works from home and suggested the house as a good location for a planned shooting.
“When asked if the neighbors would hear the gunfire, she advised that they don’t care about the neighbors,” according to the Dispatch.
According to the newspaper, Demetrius and her husband first filed for divorce in 2017, but the petition was later withdrawn. However, in April 2024, Demetrius filed for divorce for the second time, according to Franklin County Domestic Relations Court records.
A journalist from the Dispatch was reportedly able to contact Demetrius’ husband by phone to inquire about the allegations against his wife, but he declined to comment, instead stating that he wanted to focus on his children.
Demetrius appeared in Franklin County Municipal Court on Thursday morning, and Judge Jessica D’Varga ordered her to remain in custody in lieu of a $150,000 bond. The judge also issued an order prohibiting Demetrius from having any contact with her husband.
Demetrius will appear in court again on April 11 for a preliminary hearing.
