BLOUNT COUNTY, Tennessee — A former Barry County teacher is accused of trying to hire someone to murder his wife using Bitcoin to pay for it.
According to court documents, Nelson Replogle was arrested late last month after FBI agents received a tip from the British Broadcasting Company about someone providing $17,800 in Bitcoin online to hire someone to kill his wife.
Court documents state that the Bitcoin used to make the payment to the murder-for-hire website was traced back to a Coinbase wallet owned by Replogle. The IP address associated with the Coinbase wallet and a bank account that transferred funds into Coinbase also led to Replogle.
The documents allege Replogle paid more than $17,000 in Bitcoin to have his wife killed while she was driving to the veterinarian’s office for a pet’s appointment.
Investigators say he provided specific details about the car his wife would be driving, and say he was caught shredding documents prior to his arrest.
Replogle is a former social studies teacher at Thornapple Kellogg High School and served as the senior class advisor for the school in 2018.
Replogle was arrested in Knox County, Tennessee.
