Man offers $20 down payment and rifle if hit man will kill 2

NEOSHO, Mo. -- A southwest Missouri man was in custody Tuesday after being accused of offering another man $100 to kill his former wife's aunt and uncle.

Thomas Kemp, 54, of rural Joplin, was being held Tuesday on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder. His bond was set at $700,000, said Chris Jennings, chief deputy of the Newton County Sheriff's Department.

The plot was uncovered when the alleged hit man alerted deputies last week after Kemp gave him a rifle to use in the killings, Jennings said. He said the names of the intended victims have not been released, but that they live in Newton County.

Kemp was arrested Friday after a sting operation set up with the help of the would-be hit man. Jennings said deputies recorded a conversation between Kemp and the witness, when Kemp apparently told the witness how the murder could be committed.

"He then gave him a $20 bill, with the promise of more money to come later, to go ahead and commit the crime," Jennings said.

Deputies then arrested Kemp, who reportedly had promised to pay $100 for the hit.

"A $20 down payment isn't much, but the amount doesn't change the crime," Jennings said. "It's still a felony."