A Pennsylvania man faces more than two decades in prison after he was convicted in a murder for hire scheme in Bradford County.
Matthew Simon Bullock, 26, of Meshoppen, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in Bradford County Court to first-degree solicitation of murder and criminal use of a communication facility, both felonies.
He was sentenced this week in Bradford County Court to a minimum of eight years and a maximum of 20 years in state prison for the solicitation of murder charge, along with a $1,000 fine.
He was also sentenced to an additional minimum sentence of three months and a maximum of three years in prison for the criminal use of a communication facility plea, bringing his total maximum sentence to 23 years.
Bullock was charged in the murder-for-hire scheme in June 2025 following an investigation by Pennsylvania State Police and the Bradford County Drug Task Force.
Investigators looked into Bullock’s communication with certain individuals in order to set up a “hit” on a Tunkhannock resident, according to Bradford County District Attorney Richard Wilson.
Bullock initially set up a meeting with the hitman using his cell phone, resulting in the criminal use of a communication facility charge. When Bullock met with who he believed to be a hitman on June 12, 2025, however, he was unaware it was a member of the state police Towanda barracks in disguise.
“We are very fortunate that law enforcement became aware of this and intervened, because if they had not, Bullock may have been successful in hiring another individual to commit murder,” said Wilson, who noted Bullock had reached out to another individual.
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Bradford County man faces decades in prison for murder for hire plot
Reporting by Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
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