Cart
0
Florida Man Allegedly Tries to Hire a Hitman Over a Drone Dispute
A dispute over a drone allegedly escalated into a murder-for-hire plot inside a Florida jail. Investigators say a 69-year-old man offered a fellow inmate $5,000 to kill his neighbor, then gave him information that could help locate the intended target.
David Butka is accused of targeting his neighbor in a murder-for-hire plot after a fight over a drone landed him in jail. (Lake County Sheriff's Office/WESH/CNN Newsource)
It started on July 22 in Clermont, Florida.
According to investigators, David Butka was involved in an ongoing civil dispute with a neighbor over his use of a drone near the neighbor's property. That day, the neighbor was leaving home when he noticed the drone overhead and began recording it.
Gear Spotlight- What Our Readers Are Picking Up
A witness later told deputies that Butka yelled at the neighbor and threw a rock at his truck, causing marks and dents. Butka denied throwing anything, but investigators arrested him on an aggravated-assault charge and booked him into the Lake County Jail.
The alleged plot came weeks later.
On or about September 7 or 8, while still in jail, Butka allegedly approached another inmate and asked him to kill the same neighbor, who was also a witness in his criminal case.
According to a probable-cause affidavit, Butka said he had approximately $1.3 million in the bank and offered the inmate $5,000 upfront for the killing.
Investigators say Butka also provided the intended victim's first name, physical description, home address, morning schedule and directions to the residence.
Then the alleged plan began falling apart.
Investigators say Butka authorized his credit card to be released to the inmate's wife. She later transferred $300 into the inmate's jail commissary account. The inmate, however, did not agree to carry out the alleged killing.
Instead, he documented the conversation.
On September 16, the inmate reported the alleged plot to a Lake County Jail supervisor and handed investigators a handwritten note containing information about the plan and the intended victim.
The timing made the case even more unusual.
Butka had been scheduled for court and release on September 17. Instead, investigators arrested him on a new charge of solicitation to commit first-degree murder. His bond was set at $25,000.
Butka denied trying to arrange a killing. He told investigators that money discussed with the inmate was connected to obtaining legal representation and said he believed his credit card had been misused.
Authorities have not established a motive beyond what one sheriff's official described as a possible combination of anger and revenge.
What began with a neighborhood dispute over a drone had allegedly moved from a Florida street, into a jail cell and toward a planned killing.
The alleged target was still alive. The alleged hitman never carried it out. And the entire plan was reportedly exposed by the person investigators say was supposed to execute it.
Editor’s Note: The murder-for-hire allegations have not been proven in court. The timeline and accusations are based on probable-cause affidavits and statements from the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Butka is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
