An Ohio high school staff member accused of attempting to hire a student to kill her husband has been charged with felony conspiracy, according to a criminal complaint.
Stephanie Demetrius, 44, allegedly approached a student at Academy for Urban Scholars in Columbus, Ohio, on March 26 and “solicited the student to kill her husband for $2,000,” according to an affidavit.
Demetrius allegedly gave the student a $250 "down payment" and details about her husband, including that he works from home and times when he would be in the house alone.
The affidavit stated that she also advised the student that "they don't care about her neighbors," when the student asked if they would be able to hear the gunfire, according to a phone call between Demetrius and the student that the police obtained.
A spokesperson for the Academy for Urban Scholars High School confirmed Sunday that Demetrius is no longer employed at the school.
“As soon as we became aware of the situation, immediate action was taken to terminate her employment,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We are cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities and remain focused on the mission and values that guide our work each day.”
The student's mother discovered messages between the two and went to the police with the student, police told NBC affiliate WCMH.
The student, who has not been publicly identified and is not accused of criminal activity, is a juvenile.
The school spokesperson said that counseling and other resources are being provided to the student and his family, and that the safety and well-being of students is the school’s “highest priority.”
Demetrius was arrested Wednesday without incident, according to a police report, and was arraigned in Franklin County Municipal Court the next day.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for April 11.
