Murder for hire defendant sentenced in federal court

PRESS RELEASE

Indianapolis – United States Attorney Josh Minkler today announced the sentencing of a woman for her role in a diabolical plot to murder a Hamilton County victim. Renee S. Perillo, 54, Glendale, California was sentenced to 27 years’ imprisonment today in federal court by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young.

“This devious plot to murder and kidnap a victim is beyond any logical comprehension,” said Minkler. “Ms. Perillo will have many many years in the Department of Corrections to think about her actions.”

Perillo plead guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder for hire in May 2017. According to court documents, on May 22, 2015, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call for service at a residence in Noblesville. When officers arrived, they found Renee Perillo and her son Richard lying in wait in the back seat of the victim’s vehicle along with a syringe of paralytic and a firearm. Her motive was to keep the victim from pursuing legal remedies against her boyfriend.

Perillo also utilized the U.S. mail in September 2015, to send an envelope, which contained a letter to an undercover FBI agent posing as a “hitman.” In her letter, she suggested to the hitman that the victim be killed at an ATM machine to make it look like a robbery.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Bradley Shepard, Perillo must also serve five years of supervised release following her sentence.

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