Sisters Found Guilty in Baldwin Murder-For-Hire Conspiracy
MOBILE, Ala.
January 12, 2025
By Rick McCann
Two sisters charged in a murder-for-hire plot have been found guilty in a federal courtroom.
Judy Owen and Mitzy Gaye Smith were both found guilty of their charges by a federal jury.
They were both accused of plotting to kill a Louisiana man engaged in a bitter child custody battle with their niece and now face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the conspiracy conviction. The jury also found them guilty of transferring a firearm for the purposes of committing a felony. That offense carries a 15-year maximum sentence.
Jurors heard testimony from three co-conspirators, including the defendants’ other sister, Sandra Grimes, who already had pleaded guilty. Prosecutors alleged that Grimes was so angry at her estranged son-in-law, Raul Mina, that she wanted him dead – and that she got help from Owen and Smith to pay someone to do it.
“This case is about a group of women who came together and took matters into their own hands,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Terrill said during her closing argument.
Chief U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Beaverstock set sentencing for April 14. He allowed the defendants to remain free until then.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tandice Blackwood pointed to evidence of conversations about taking Mina out after Murphy’s last trip to Marrero in March.
“The conspiracy is continuing,” she said. “They’re not gonna stop until Raul Mina’s dead.”
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