A Lehigh Acres man will spend three decades behind bars after authorities said he plotted the murder-for-hire of a Lee County sheriff’s detective and a confidential informant.
A Lee County jury on Jan. 23 convicted Zachary Human, 28, of criminal solicitation and two counts of tampering with a witness, victim or informant.
The sheriff’s office began investigating in February 2024 a threat to harm a Lee County deputy.
The sheriff’s office said detectives learned Human contacted a witness and asked them to conduct a search to locate the deputy’s home address and murder him with a firearm. The News-Press and Naples Daily News do not name the deputy and informant because they are victims in the case.
The murder was to be carried out because of an active investigation in which Human has pending criminal charges, authorities said.
Jail records indicate Human had been arrested Jan. 24, 2024, on drug charges and his arraignment in that case was scheduled the week authorities uncovered the murder plot.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@usatodayco.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Bluesky @tomasfrodriguez.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Lehigh Acres man gets hefty sentence for plotting deputy’s murder
Reporting by Tomas Rodriguez, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
