Plea deal possible in bitcoin murder-for-hire case

The case of a former Loyola University Medical Center nurse accused of using the dark web to hire a hitman to kill her former lover's wife could be resolved later this month.

An attorney for Tina Jones and a prosecutor told DuPage County Judge George Bakalis on Monday that they are working on a possible plea deal. Bakalis continued the case until Aug. 27, when Jones could enter a plea.

Jones, 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.

All the charges are Class X felonies. Jones faces a maximum of 40 years in prison if convicted of the most serious offense.

Prosecutors allege Jones paid nearly $11,000 in bitcoin to the Cosa Nostra International Network in January 2018 to kill a Woodridge woman who works as a clinical social worker in Naperville.

The website, however, was found to be a scam. The CBS television 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 instructions to make sure her lover was unharmed. She also provided a schedule for when her lover would be at work and when his wife would be alone.

Jones said to make it look like an accident.

She remains free on $250,000 bail and is living with her family in Georgia.