Influencer gets 10 years in prison after hiring someone to kill internet rival 

An influencer and her husband were arrested after they tried to hire a couple to kill an internet rival. Though her husband was acquitted, the influencer received the maximum sentencing.

In October 2024, social media influencer Ashley Grayson received 10 years in prison for murder-for-hire. In August 2022, the 35-year-old asked a woman, whom she had worked with before, to fly to Dallas to discuss a “business opportunity.”

The next month, the woman and her husband flew in to meet with Grayson. The influencer and her husband then propositioned the couple to kill her ex-boyfriend, an internet rival, and a woman who had criticized Grayson online. 

At the time, she offered the couple $20,000 for each murder. On September 10, 2022, the woman Grayson had hired recorded a video call in which the influencer confirmed that she wanted her internet rival killed immediately. She even offered an extra $5,000 for the killing to be done within a week.

Grayson’s tension with her internet rival, who resides in Mississippi, began in 2021 after she started an online business that was similar to Grayson’s.

Grayson ineligible for parole 

In July 2023, a grand jury indicted Grayson and her husband for the murder-for-hire plot. Though her husband was acquitted, Grayson was found guilty.

In October 2024, the influencer was sentenced to the maximum penalty and received 10 years in prison. Once free, she’ll have three years of supervised release. Since her case was federal, she will not be eligible for parole.

Attorney Reagan Fondren said in a statement that although it was fortunate nobody was hurt, the case was the result of a ‘senseless rivalry.’

“This was a twenty-first century crime where online feuds and senseless rivalries bled into the real world,” Fondren said. “The defendant tried to hire someone to murder a woman over things that happened exclusively on the internet.

“Fortunately, no one was physically hurt in this case, but the victim and her family still felt a severe and emotional impact as the result of the defendant’s actions. The proactive response from the investigating agencies and our prosecutors prevented an even more serious crime from occurring.”

Just recently, a YouTuber was also arrested after she attempted to murder a rival. Though the victim survived, the YouTuber watched him bleed and told him, “I’ll just wait for you to die.”