Post Falls woman admits to hiring hitman

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Katrina (Katie) Lynn Danforth, 32, of Post Falls, Idaho, pled guilty this week to two counts of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder for hire, Brad Bench of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle Field Office and U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced. Danforth was indicted by a federal grand jury in Coeur d’Alene December 18, 2018.

According to court records, Danforth admitted that in October 2018 she agreed to pay a “hitman” to murder someone. During October and November 2018, she met in person with the hitman, called him on the phone and mailed him a thank you card with a $2,500 cash down payment. The hitman was actually an undercover police officer and Danforth was arrested. Danforth has remained in custody since her arrest in December 2018. Sentencing for Danforth is set for December 2, 2019 before U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Coeur d’Alene.

Each count of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder for hire is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release of up to three years.

This case was investigated by the North Idaho Violent Crime Task Force (NIVCTF). The NIVCTF is an FBI-sponsored task force comprising law enforcement from Homeland Security Investigations, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, Post Falls Police Department, and Idaho Department of Correction.