Fulton County Jail Murder-for-Hire Plot Indictment Reveals Conspiracy to Kill Detention Officers

Six individuals, including inmates and a detention officer, have been indicted on charges related to a murder-for-hire plot targeting two Fulton County Jail detention officers who reportedly interfered with the defendants’ contraband and drug trafficking activities. The indictment, unsealed on November 4, 2024, charges the defendants with conspiracy to commit murder for hire, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses.

The defendants, identified as Wayne Alford (27), Matthew Freeman (26), Latasha Baker (38), Jaheim Arnold (21), Carlos Pearson (33), and Jayden Barnes (19), allegedly plotted to murder the detention officers for $1,000 each. According to U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan, Alford, a pretrial detainee at Fulton County Jail, coordinated with Freeman and Baker, a jail detention officer, to arrange the killings using contraband cell phones within jail facilities.

Baker, along with Freeman—who is currently serving a sentence for armed robbery at Valdosta State Prison—agreed to finance the scheme, while Arnold, Pearson, and Barnes were recruited to carry out the murders. The plot was discovered when detention officers found tracking devices attached to their vehicles, alerting authorities to the conspiracy.

The federal indictment lists the charges as follows:

• Wayne Alford: Two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, drug trafficking conspiracy, and conspiracy to carry a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
• Matthew Freeman: Two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, drug trafficking conspiracy, and conspiracy to carry a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
• Latasha Baker: Two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, drug trafficking conspiracy, and conspiracy to carry a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
• Jaheim Arnold: Two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, drug trafficking conspiracy, conspiracy to carry a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.
• Carlos Pearson: Two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for hire.
• Jayden Barnes: Two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for hire.

Fulton County Sheriff Patrick “Pat” Labat condemned the conspiracy, emphasizing the severe breach of trust posed by an officer’s alleged involvement in the plot. Sean Burke, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, praised the collaborative investigation that thwarted the scheme, stating, “We are extremely grateful that this plot was foiled before harm could come to either of the targeted individuals.”

The case, led by the FBI with support from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia Department of Corrections, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew R. LaGrone and Teresa M. Stolze. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, and the government bears the burden of establishing guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.