The Disturbing Rise of Teen Murder Solicitations Through a Satirical Website
In a troubling trend that spans multiple American states, teenagers are increasingly turning to a website called Rent-A-Hitman to arrange violent acts against family members, authority figures, and peers. What these young individuals don't realize is that the site's founder, Bob Innes, doesn't actually arrange hits—he prevents them.
Three Chilling Cases That Reveal a Pattern
In Hot Springs, Arkansas, a teenager expressed his desire to have his stepfather "shot in the head execution style," citing that "he gets on my nervous" in a telling grammatical error. Meanwhile, in Lewisburg, Tennessee, a juvenile sought to have a family court judge murdered and decapitated, with the head placed on the judge's lawn. In Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, another teenager requested the kidnapping, restraint, and rape of a 17-year-old.
These three cases represent just a fraction of the disturbing submissions that have flooded Rent-A-Hitman in recent years. Founder Bob Innes estimates that approximately 35 percent of all submissions now come from minors, marking what he describes as a "massive rise" in teenage violence solicitations.
The Pandemic Connection: Isolation and Online Access
Innes directly attributes this alarming increase to the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting lockdowns. "I absolutely saw a rise in juveniles contacting the site," he explained, "and I think it's because they were left indoors, locked indoors. They didn't have anything to do. They spent their time online."
The psychological impact of prolonged isolation combined with unlimited internet access has created what forensic psychologist Dr. Joni Johnston describes as "instrumental detachment"—the reframing of lethal violence as a mere transaction. "For a teenager," Johnston noted, "typing a name into a web form creates an ocean of distance between intention and consequence. The target becomes a data point. The murder becomes a service request."
From Dark Joke to Serious Prevention Tool
Bob Innes, a 59-year-old IT specialist from Fairfield, California who now works for a limousine company, created Rent-A-Hitman in 2005 as a tongue-in-cheek reference to network penetration testing. "I did not expect anybody to pay attention to it," he admitted. For years, the site sat dormant until he eventually checked its email account and found hundreds of messages from around the world.
Despite deliberately making the website absurd—operating under the alias Guido Fanelli, misspelling "coffee," and including disclaimers about not being affiliated with celebrities or government agencies—people continue to send serious requests. The homepage reads: "Let's face it, we've all had a relationship or two that you just wish would go away. Look no further and let RENT-A-HITMAN take care of the dirty work for you."
The Credible Threats and Law Enforcement Collaboration
After receiving more than 10,000 requests over the years, Innes has identified 211 submissions that he deemed credible enough to refer to law enforcement. "Rent-A-Hitman isn't just satire—it's prevention," he told the Daily Mail. His first credible case came in 2010 from a British woman stranded in Canada who wanted multiple relatives killed in an inheritance dispute. "Helen was the first red flag," Innes recalled. "The information was corroborating, and I couldn't let it go."
Since that initial case, he has continued forwarding serious submissions to authorities, referring more than 230 cases involving both adults and juveniles. Credible threats typically include real names, addresses, deadlines, photographs, and even payment discussions, distinguishing them from prank messages that often name cartoon characters or fictional targets.
Disturbing Patterns in Juvenile Requests
Innes has identified consistent patterns in juvenile submissions. "Control, discipline and resentment of authority are the number one reasons they want to kill their parents," he revealed. "Many juveniles describe their parents as controlling, strict or ruining their lives." Other motives include financial gain, emotional instability, abuse allegations, and fantasies of independence.
The requests often display a shocking lack of awareness about consequences. One young man wrote: "Hello there. Recently my parents have been complete jerks to me... I didn't want to hire a lawyer because that would take a bloody eternity. So I came here." When asked how he wanted the victims killed, he replied: "Slow, painful and LUDICROUSLY BRUTAL!"
Another submission read: "I would like my sister dead... I was gonna go on the dark web but I need her beat the f**k up or dead," while yet another was even more blunt: "Kill my abusive f**kingass dad." Instructions specified: "Go to the bedroom and kill the fatass."
Notable Cases and Real-World Consequences
Some cases have resulted in significant legal outcomes. In 2023, 21-year-old Tennessee Air National Guardsman Josiah Garcia pleaded guilty after applying through the website's "careers" page to become a killer-for-hire.
Perhaps most disturbing was the case of Jasmin Paez, an 18-year-old Florida mother who allegedly wanted her three-year-old son taken "far, far away and possibly killed" after a boyfriend told her to "lose the kid." Innes testified in a hearing that resulted in the termination of Paez's parental rights through the Miami-Dade Family Court. She is barred from contacting her child until her probation ends in 2040.
This case helped spur Innes's effort to launch a nonprofit organization called From Threat to Thrive, aimed at intervening before threats escalate into actual violence.
The Accessibility Problem and Parental Awareness
What alarms Innes most is how easily serious intent can take shape online. "A juvenile no longer needs to know anybody in the underworld or have some elaborate plan," he observed. "All they need is a device, a grievance and a willingness to cross the line."
Dr. Johnston emphasized that parents often underestimate how serious these dynamics can become, particularly when teens are influenced by peers or romantic partners. "Sometimes parents don't understand the seriousness of these relationships," she cautioned. "It can be very tricky."
A Warning for the Digital Age
For Bob Innes, the strange evolution of Rent-A-Hitman has revealed something darker than he ever anticipated—a place where fantasy, rage, and family conflict can collide with real-world consequences. "These are not just crime stories," he reflected. "These are often missed warning signs."
Despite the site's satirical branding, the takeaway is anything but humorous. "Not every website is safe just because it portrays to be," Innes warned. "This is the perfect example." As cases continue to arrive from locations including East Brunswick, New Jersey; Champaign, Illinois; Stockton, California; and Bensalem, Pennsylvania, the pattern remains consistent: online grievance, adolescent impulsivity, and startling ease of access to what Innes grimly describes as "DoorDash for dummies."
