St. Joseph Man Sentenced for Attempted Murder of an Informant

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a St. Joseph, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for attempting to murder an informant in retaliation for providing information to law enforcement officers.

Justin M. Hill, 21, of St. Joseph, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to five years and 11 months in federal prison without parole.

On April 25, 2014, Hill pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of an informant. The informant had told federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that Hill was bringing powder cocaine from Kansas City, Mo., to St. Joseph. Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers attempted to stop Hill, who while fleeing from them tossed two ounces of cocaine out of his vehicle. Hill was stopped and arrested, but troopers could not find the tossed cocaine.

On multiple occasions following the stop, law enforcement officers saw Hill searching in that area. When asked what he was looking for, Hill told them he was looking for a lost ring. On Sept. 5, 2013, law enforcement officers found the cocaine in brush about seven or eight feet from the roadway.

After the traffic stop, Hill told the confidential source that he believed the source had informed law enforcement about the cocaine. On Aug. 30, 2013, Hill used a Chevy Suburban to ram the confidential informant’s vehicle. Hill got out of his vehicle and fired six shots at the confidential informant.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick C. Edwards. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Buchanan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.