Click for a Killer (Parts 1 & 2) | Full Episodes
YouTube · zSedXBykilI
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖The dark web is a parallel internet, unpoliced and used for illicit activities like drug sales, weapons, human trafficking, and murder-for-hire.
- ❖Yura, operating sites like Besa Mafia and Cosa Nostra, built a profitable empire advertising assassination services.
- ❖Bitcoin's untraceable nature makes it the preferred currency for anonymous transactions on the dark web, including murder-for-hire payments.
- ❖Steven Allwine ordered a hit on his wife, Amy, for $12,000 in Bitcoin through Besa Mafia, using the alias 'Dog Day God'.
- ❖Chris Monteiro, a white hat hacker, infiltrated Yura's sites, exposing kill orders and eventually collaborating with 48 Hours to alert authorities.
- ❖48 Hours' investigation and subsequent tips from Yura and Monteiro led to multiple arrests and saved lives in cases across the US and internationally.
- ❖The ultimate revelation was that Yura's murder-for-hire sites were likely a scam, never actually arranging a single hit, but still provoking customers to commit violence.
- ❖Steven Allwine was convicted of first-degree murder for killing Amy after his dark web hitman attempt failed, sentenced to life in prison.
Insights
1Dark Web as a Lawless Marketplace for Crime
The dark web functions as an unpoliced, anonymous internet where illegal goods and services, including drugs, weapons, pornography, human trafficking, and murder-for-hire, are openly advertised and traded. Its encrypted nature and use of tools like Tor Browser Pro make it difficult for law enforcement to track users.
Speakers describe the dark web as a 'place of absolute lawlessness' and 'internet's evil twin' (). Hitmen like 'Yura' openly advertise services to 'beat up, set fire, or kill customer targets' ().
2Anonymity of Bitcoin Facilitates Dark Web Crime
Bitcoin is the preferred digital currency for transactions on the dark web due to its untraceable nature. Payments are made through 'wallets,' making it nearly impossible to link a transaction to an individual, thus enabling anonymous purchases of illicit services, including murder.
Prosecutor Jamie Cryser explains, 'Bitcoin is untraceable because when you use Bitcoin, it is done through what is called a wallet' (). Steven Allwine paid 'more than $12,000 in the digital currency Bitcoin' for the hit on Amy Allwine ().
3The Amy Allwine Murder: A Dark Web Plot Gone Wrong
Steven Allwine, using the alias 'Dog Day God,' ordered the assassination of his wife, Amy, on Yura's Besa Mafia site after she discovered his extramarital affairs and he faced church repercussions for divorce. After the hired hitman failed to act for nine months, Steven allegedly drugged Amy with scopolamine and shot her himself with their personal protection gun.
FBI agents discovered 'Dog Day God' ordered Amy Allwine's assassination (). Steven Allwine's computer contained the Bitcoin payment code for the hit (). Amy's autopsy revealed a large amount of scopolamine in her system (). Steven was convicted of first-degree murder ().
4White Hat Hacker's Role in Exposing Dark Web Plots
Chris Monteiro, a white hat hacker, actively monitored Yura's dark web sites, developing special computer code to hack into them and access communications between customers and Yura. His efforts led to the discovery of numerous kill orders, including Amy Allwine's, and provided critical information to law enforcement and 48 Hours.
Chris Monteiro 'developed a special computer code to hack into the Besa Mafia site' (). He found 'scores of messages between dogdaygod and Yura discussing how, where, and when the hit would take place' ().
5The Shocking Revelation: Yura's Sites Were a Scam
Despite advertising as a legitimate murder-for-hire service, Chris Monteiro and Eileen Ormsby concluded that Yura's operations were an elaborate scam designed to take people's money, never actually arranging a single hit. Yura's constant requests for more money and failure to deliver on 'hits' supported this conclusion.
Chris Monteiro and Eileen Ormsby 'reached an explosive conclusion that Yura's murder-for-hire operation is all a big scam' (). Eileen states, 'Nobody is being killed. It's a scam site, you know, it's designed to take people's money' ().
6Scam Sites Still Incite Real Violence
Even though Yura's sites were scams, they still served as a catalyst for violence. Desperate customers, believing they had hired a hitman, would sometimes take matters into their own hands when the 'hit' didn't occur, as seen in the cases of Steven Allwine, Brandon States, Tina Jones, and Beau Brigham.
The report concludes, 'The most dangerous thing about him may be his customers. Some so driven to kill that if Yura doesn't get the job done, they might do it themselves. Like prosecutors allege about Steven Allwine' ().
Bottom Line
The FBI's initial approach to dark web threats was insufficient, focusing on warning targets without fully investigating the source or potential perpetrators, which may have contributed to Amy Allwine's death.
This highlights a critical gap in early law enforcement response to complex cybercrimes, where a lack of specialized knowledge or jurisdictional clarity can leave victims vulnerable even after being warned.
Law enforcement agencies need to develop more robust, proactive, and integrated strategies for dark web investigations, including dedicated units and international collaboration, to prevent threats from escalating into real-world violence.
Yura, the alleged scammer behind the murder-for-hire sites, paradoxically provided tips to 48 Hours about ongoing plots, turning on his own customers.
This suggests a complex motivation beyond pure financial gain, possibly to maintain a facade of legitimacy, avoid detection, or even for a twisted sense of 'saving lives' while still profiting from criminal intent.
This behavior could be exploited by law enforcement to gather intelligence on other dark web users, but it also underscores the unpredictable and manipulative nature of cybercriminals, requiring careful handling of such 'sources'.
Key Concepts
Internet's Evil Twin
The dark web is described as a parallel internet, an 'evil twin' to the surface web, characterized by absolute lawlessness and anonymity, making it unpoliceable and a haven for criminal activities.
Lessons
- Be aware of the dark web's existence and its potential for illicit activities, understanding that anonymity can foster extreme criminal behavior.
- Recognize that online threats, even from seemingly fake services, can incite real-world violence and should be reported to authorities immediately.
- Support initiatives that enhance law enforcement's capabilities in cybercrime investigation and international cooperation to combat borderless dark web threats.
Notable Moments
The 911 call from Steven Allwine reporting his wife's death, where his demeanor and his son's question about remarriage seemed 'oddly calm' and 'fake' to investigators.
This moment was a critical turning point for investigators, raising immediate suspicions about Steven Allwine's involvement despite his initial claims of suicide, highlighting the importance of behavioral cues in crime investigation.
Chris Monteiro, the white hat hacker, being framed by Yura and arrested by British authorities for 'incitement to murder' after trying to expose Yura's scam.
This illustrates the extreme risks faced by independent cyber-investigators and the complex, often misdirected, challenges law enforcement encounters when dealing with the dark web's deceptive nature.
48 Hours actively contacting authorities and targets based on tips from Yura and Chris Monteiro, leading to multiple arrests and preventing murders.
This demonstrates a rare instance of investigative journalism directly intervening in ongoing criminal plots, highlighting the media's potential role in public safety when traditional law enforcement channels are slow or unable to act.
Quotes
"This is terrifying. And it's as easy as going to Amazon, a few clicks, and you could hire a hitman."
"On the dark web, everybody's anonymous. It's like a parallel internet, and sometimes we call it the internet's evil twin because it is a place of absolute lawlessness."
"Dog Day God is sort of chomping at the bit for this to happen."
"Bitcoin is untraceable because when you use Bitcoin, it is done through what is called a wallet."
"I discovered there's a lot of sick people out there, and many cases being very graphic about how they want the person to suffer."
"So, in the end, who is Dog Day God? Dog Day God is Steven Allwine."
"He's being charged with something that that could get him hanged."
"Nobody is being killed. It's a scam site, you know, it's designed to take people's money."
Q&A
Recent Questions
Related Episodes
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE'S MOM MISSING: DAY 66
"On day 66 of Nancy Guthrie's disappearance, investigators grapple with two distinct sets of Bitcoin ransom notes, digital tracing challenges, and potential physical evidence like shoe coverings, as new, dubious claims emerge from a 'hyena' seeking payment for information."
Nancy Guthrie Mystery: Kidnapped to Mexico? The Truth About Eerie Google Searches
"Federal authorities are now engaging with Mexican officials in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case, contradicting earlier statements from the local sheriff, while new investigative leads emerge from a gun holster purchase and Google search data is clarified."
Widow Realizes Cops Know She Poisoned Her Husband
"A seemingly routine burglary unexpectedly unravels a year-old murder, exposing a mother-daughter poisoning plot and a chilling pattern of suspicious deaths."
Hell On Wheels: Mackenzie Shirilla's Double Murder Crash
"A seemingly accidental car crash that killed two young men in Strongsville, Ohio, was meticulously uncovered by investigators to be a deliberate act of double murder by the 17-year-old driver, Mackenzie Shirilla, amidst a tumultuous relationship and a shocking lack of remorse."