Woman accused in bitcoin murder-for-hire plot must remain on GPS monitoring
DuPage County Judge George Bakalis reminded Tina Jones and her attorney on Tuesday that they agreed to have her wear a GPS monitoring device earlier this spring when he allowed her to remain free on bail at her parent's Georgia home.
Jones, 32, formerly of the 700 block of River Road in Des Plaines, is charged with four counts of solicitation of murder for hire, two counts of solicitation of murder and attempted first-degree murder in a plot to have her former lover's wife killed.
All charges against Jones are Class X felonies, meaning she will not be eligible for probation if found guilty. She faces a maximum of 40 years in prison if convicted of the most serious offense.
Through a motion filed by her attorney, Stephen Hall, Jones sought to have the GPS monitoring device removed to relieve the financial burden of the $10 per day fee.
According to the motion, Hall estimates Jones has paid about $2,390 since she was released on bail on April 23.
"Ms. Jones would otherwise request that all other conditions of bond remain in effect, including that she be required to stay within the state of Georgia unless traveling to Illinois for court, and then she may only stay within Illinois for 24 hours," Hall wrote. "This court can be fairly assured of Ms. Jones continued compliance because of the support of her family (who travel with her to every court appearance), her performance while on release thus far, and other factors to be discussed with this court."
Bakalis denied the request, directing the clerk's office to use the $25,000 Jones posted for bail to pay the $300 to the GPS monitoring company on the first day of each month for as long as she remains on the program.
Prosecutors say Jones paid more than $10,000 in bitcoin to a dark web company in January to kill a Woodridge woman who works as a clinical social worker in Naperville.
The Cosa Nostra International Network, however, was deemed to be a scam. The CBS program "48 Hours" discovered the contract between Jones and the website while researching another story and alerted Woodridge police, authorities said.
In her "kill order," officials said Jones gave the hitman clear instructions to make sure her lover was unharmed and provided a schedule for when he would be at work and when the woman would be alone. She also said to make it look like an accident.
The victim's husband is a practicing anesthesiologist who completed his residency at Loyola and is still based in Maywood.
Jones's next court date is scheduled for Feb. 13.