Upstate man tried to hire hit man to kill black neighbor, hang him from tree, burn cross in yard

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NEWS 4 IN CLEMSON. -- MADELEINE: MADELEINE HACKETT, WYFF NEWS 4 IN CLEMSON. CAROL: A GREENWOOD COUNTY MAN WILL SPEND TEN YEARS IN PRISON, AFTER HE TRIED TO HIRE SOMEONE TO KILL HIS NEIGHBOR, WHO’S AFRICAN AMERICAN. 26-YEAR-OLD BRANDON LECROY PLEADED GUILTY TO MURDER FOR HIRE. THE U.S. ATTORNEY SAYS LECROY GOT IN TOUCH WITH A WHITE SUPREMACIST GROUP TO GET HELP MURDERING HIS NEIGHBOR THE FBI GOT WIND OF HIS PLAN, AND SENT AN UNDERCOVER AGENT TO POSE AS A HITMAN. LECROY WAS RECORDED OVER THE PHONE OFFERING TO PAY $500 FOR HIS NEIGHBOR’S DEATH. IN THE SAME CONVERSATION LECROY REQUESTED A FLAMING CROS

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Advertisement Upstate man tried to hire hit man to kill black neighbor, hang him from tree, burn cross in yard Brandon Lecroy sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A 26-year-old Upstate man admitted Friday to trying to hire white supremacists to kill his black neighbor.Brandon Cory Lecroy, of Greenwood, pleaded guilty in federal court to murder for hire as a hate crime. The FBI received information in 2018 that Lecroy had contacted a white supremacist organization to get help killing his African-American neighbor. The FBI directed Lecroy to an undercover agent who posed as a hit man to determine if Lecroy was serious about killing his neighbor. In a recorded phone call on March 20, 2018, Lecroy arranged to pay the undercover agent to murder his neighbor. During the phone call, Lecroy told the agent "$500, and he's a ghost," according to the FBI.In the same conversation, Lecroy also asked that the neighbor be hung from a tree and a "flaming cross" be put in the neighbor's front yard, agents said. Agents said Lecroy also made statements about taking over the neighbor's property after he was killed. Lecroy met with the undercover agent on April 9, 2018, in Greenwood. During that meeting, Lecroy pointed out the neighbor's residence and discussed future targets he wanted killed or maimed. Lecroy also gave the agent with a $100 cash down payment. After he gave the agent the cash, officers moved in and arrested Lecroy without incident. Lecroy was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison followed by three years of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.