On May 27, 2014, a jury found Heather Leann Horst, a woman from Minnesota, guilty of planning to kill her husband, Brandon Horst.
Brandon, who served in the Air National Guard, was killed because Heather felt trapped in their marriage.
Heather believed divorce would result in losing her home, pets, and financial stability provided by her husband.
She saw murder as her only way out.
Heather told her friends that she wanted him out of her life permanently.
"I want him dead" she repeatedly told her friends.
Ultimately, one of her friends granted her wish by shooting Brandon in the head while he slept.
A Desperate Plan
Heather Horst complained to all her friends, including Aaron William Allen, about her husband.
She accused him of physically hurting her and causing her to lose two pregnancies due to beatings.
It turned out to be a lie because Horst had never been pregnant or physically abused.
Her friends also testified that they saw no physical signs of abuse on Horst.
Allen, who was abused as a child and witnessed his mother being beaten, had no time for bullies.
So he took a special interest in Heather's case because of this.
Heather then told Allen that Brandon had a $1 million life insurance policy.
She promised Allen 10 percent of the money initially, which she later increased to 25 percent if he murdered Brandon.
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| Brandon and Heather |
The Day of the shooting
Heather visited Allen's apartment that morning, 14 hours before the murder.
She said she had a miscarriage because Brandon had beaten her.
Allen got very angry, and they both agreed that Allen would kill Brandon later that night.
Later that evening, Allen made his way to the house and waited in the basement until Brandon Horst fell asleep.
When he noticed Brandon was asleep, he then carried out a "cold-blooded execution" just after midnight.
Allen initially thought he would have help.
He convinced two friends to agree to hold Brandon down while he slit his throat.
Heather Horst took them to Kmart, where she bought black clothes, gloves, and shoes for them.
However, they didn't end up joining in the crime.
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| Aaron William Allen |
A Crumbling Alibi
Despite trying to create an alibi by going to Walgreens with her friend, inconsistencies in her story and Allen's testimony revealed the truth.
Horst went to Walgreens with her friends to solidify her alibi at the time of the murder.
Security cameras captured them walking around the store, leaving, and then coming back about 20 minutes later.
They hurriedly left when Heather Horst received a text message from Allen.
It said, simply, “Done.”
The text came in at 12:35 a.m and the two women were seen pulling out of the Walgreens parking lot at 12:37.
Court Proceedings
During the trial, it was revealed that besides the insurance money, Heather Horst had another motive for wanting to kill her husband.
The prosecution disclosed that she had an affair with another man, which began before she married Brandon.
It was reported that Brandon Horst knew about the infidelity and planned to file for divorce.
Allen, 26, confessed to being the shooter and pleaded guilty in exchange for a lesser charge.
To protect Horst, her lawyers portrayed Allen as the bad person.
They claimed Allen was a troubled person with violent fantasies and that he acted alone.
The jury, however, wasn't convinced.
They found Horst guilty of aiding and abetting first-degree murder, sentencing her to life in prison without parole.
Horst showed no emotion as the verdicts were read.
Given a chance to speak, she declined.
"We are absolutely elated that the jury came back with a swift and just verdict on behalf of Brandon Horst,” prosecutors said.
The incident left Brandon Horst's family heartbroken and devastated.
His mother described him as a positive and kind young man who "always looked for the good in people."
Lt. Col. John Echert, from Brandon's Air National Guard unit, spoke of the profound impact his death had on his fellow soldiers
While no verdict can bring back Brandon Horst, the jury's decision ensures accountability for his calculad murder.
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