Utah woman tells of horrific murder plot foiled by police

OGDEN- A Utah woman tells how she lived in fear for over a year after learning that someone wanted her dead.

She and her boyfriend were unable to find out who was behind a murder-for-hire plot on the dark web after police uncovered the shocking crime.

Sitting at a table with Lego bricks spread out on a tray, Zoey Budge and Ben Slaughter were working on a long-term project that involved building bouquets of flowers, poking fun at each other as they deciphered the instructions.

“It’s our favorite hobby,” Slaughter joked as the couple giggled.

They have spent nearly two years building and forming a loving relationship. Budge described Slaughter as her best friend who makes her laugh, and Slaughter said Budge is really sweet and caring.

While the two build each other up, the happy couple also solves a mysterious mystery that began in April 2023.

“The police showed up at my door and asked if anyone wanted to hurt me. And I told them no,” Budge explained.

She said she was told someone had posted her name, picture and information on a contract killing website on the dark web.

Budge recalls that the officers – she said they were from the Department of Homeland Security – asked her about past relationships, but she and Slaughter were at a loss.

“I had no idea who it could be,” she said.

“It was terrible”

At the time of the DHS visit, Budge said she had not seen the post or all of its details.

However, she later described receiving a terrifying message in her social media inbox. A stranger seemed to have stumbled upon this alleged dark web post from March 2023 and tracked Budge down to warn her.

The person sent a screenshot that showed Budge's photo, address and other personal information, as well as details about her living situation and daily life. Budge pulled up the post on her phone, looked down and read it out loud.

“Need help to kill her quickly and discreetly. Important thing is that the victim is alone when doing the job,” Budge said, quoting the post. “If she is not alone, wait for another chance.”

In the screenshot she was looking at, the words “ALONE” and “WAITING” were written in capital letters. All of Budge's social media accounts were listed, as well as a description of what she looked like and even a description of her dog.

Zoey Budge and Ben Slaughter describe the murder case against Zoey. (KSL TV)

“Just endless information that the average person doesn’t really have,” Slaughter said.

The total amount of the order to execute the order was stated as $5,500 in Bitcoin.

“It was just indescribable,” Slaughter said. “It was horrible.”

After the DHS officials visited, the couple lived in fear every day, wondering who might be following Budge – and if someone was planning an attack.

“I made sure the door was locked when I went in. I didn't want to go anywhere,” Budge explained. “I just felt like someone was watching me wherever I went.”

The hitman post on the dark web asking someone to kill Zoey Budge. (KSL TV)

The “Wild West” of crime

While the couple waited for answers, investigators dug deeper into the case. But dealing with the darknet is not easy.

Thaddeus May, assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Utah, said these crimes can be difficult to detect.

“It's like an Amazon of illegal activities and what you can find there,” he said. “And the crimes that are most prosecuted are drug offenses … and then exploitation, sexual exploitation type crimes.”

May could not comment specifically on Budge's case, but said encrypted names generally provide anonymity and protection to people buying or selling on darknet marketplaces.

This makes prosecution more difficult, especially given that it is a global market, he said.

However, it is not impossible to solve these crimes.

“There's a perception that this is some kind of crime-free zone, that this is the Wild West,” May said. “We exist just to remind people that that's not true, that their behavior on these darknet marketplaces has consequences. And if the evidence is sufficient, they will face criminal consequences.”

Zoey Budge looks at the alleged dark web post offering thousands for her death. (KSL TV)

In the Budge case, the Department of Justice's Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Project assisted with the investigation.

PSN coordinator Victoria McFarland also could not comment specifically on Budge's case or reveal how they monitor darknet crimes, but she said the initiative adapts to changing crime trends over the years to combat violent crime from every angle.

“It will definitely be a combination of approaches, strategies and tactics, because there is never a one-size-fits-all answer,” she said.

McFarland talked about how they work with different levels of law enforcement, from federal to local.

“The goal in many cases is prevention,” she said.

These preventive efforts ultimately led to the plot against Zoey being foiled.

“It’s hard to understand”

Nearly four months after learning of the death threat, Budge received a call from investigators.

“My heart sank,” said Budge.

The name they gave her? Krista Stone – Slaughter’s ex-girlfriend.

“It was hard for us to grasp,” Slaughter said.

He explained that he and Stone dated in college for about a year and a half before breaking up in August 2021.

Slaughter said he and Zoey reconnected more than a year later, in December 2022, after dating in high school.

“The end of Krista and my relationship had nothing to do with Zoey,” Slaughter said.

Slaughter says he and Stone split more than a year before his relationship with Budge. (Courtesy of Ben Slaughter)

It left her completely confused.

“No words can describe this feeling,” said Budge. “Could I have done something wrong? Why would she want to do this?”

Slaughter said he had no contact with Stone and had received no indication from her that she was continuing to follow his life.

But the uncertainty and discomfort were not over yet.

The couple waited nervously for another ten months for investigators to gather all the evidence against Stone.

“You know, it was hard to carry on with life as usual,” Slaughter said.

In May 2024, the U.S. Attorney's Office charged Krista with using interstate commerce facilities to commit a murder-for-hire.

“It's coming to an end”

Stone was arrested and pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement that included a possible sentence of 78 months, which is less than the recommended sentence of 87 to 108 months.

At Stone's sentencing on August 19, prosecutors said Stone was consumed by jealousy when her ex-boyfriend started dating someone new.

They said she was introduced to the dark web and posted Budge's murder-for-hire ad twice in two days. She then messaged the site for several months, prosecutors said, asking for updates and saying she “needed to complete the job as quickly as possible.”

The prosecution said that Stone had been in contact with a man she believed to be a contract killer and who repeatedly promised her that he would act soon.

Prosecutors said Krista Stone was jealous of Budge when she made the dark web post. (Courtesy of Ben Slaughter)

Judge David Sam said a foreign government intercepted the post and forwarded it to the Department of Homeland Security for review. The U.S. Attorney's Office said the dark web website used by Stone was not a law enforcement-operated site and was being investigated.

Budge spoke during the sentencing, describing the terror and stress she endured and the emotional toll the whole ordeal had taken on her.

Stone also addressed the court and acknowledged her mistakes, saying she was not of sound mind and that she was “sincerely and deeply sorry.”

The judge sentenced Stone to the recommended term of six and a half years in a federal prison, followed by three years of probation.

For Budge and Slaughter, this week finally brought closure.

“We're really glad it's somehow coming to an end,” Slaughter said.

The couple is now focusing on healing.

“I'm just trying to feel a little safer when I go out and go to work,” he explained.

Budge said she was still traumatized and they were both working on getting their lives back to normal.

“I’m still trying to process this,” she said.

The two said they are no longer on social media as much and are more aware of their surroundings.

“The dark web is real. It can be a really scary place,” Slaughter said, adding, “You never know what information about you is out there until something like this happens.”

Budge and Slaughter are working to regain normalcy and safety after Stone's conviction. (KSL TV)