NYPD thwarted two darknet murders.

Zhou was arrested on June 5, 2024 in Virginia and transferred to New York on July 3. The trial will be presided over by Magistrate Judge Robert Levy (Robert Levy).

The investigation revealed that between March 25 and April 4, 2019, Zhou attempted to hire a hitman via darknet to take the life of her ex-partner's wife. The attacker transferred $5,000 worth of bitcoins to the hired killer through a Ukrainian exchange service.

Zhou provided the killer with detailed information about the intended victim's daily routine. Later, the woman also tried to organize the murder of her ex-partner's adult daughter, offering $10,000 and sexual favors in return.

"The offender was unaware that the darknet site she used to hire the hitman turned out to be fake. The defendant took decisive action to commit ruthless murders, and her vicious plan was thwarted only because the website turned out to be fake," the prosecutor's office said.
A few years ago, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with the help of the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, figured out a criminal who paid a hitman in bitcoins to kill his wife. The crime was also prevented.