Inset: Stephanie Demetrius (Franklin County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Academy for Urban Scholars High School in Columbus, Ohio (Google Maps).
A 44-year-old substitute teacher in Ohio has been arrested in connection with a bizarre murder plot in which she allegedly hired a high school student to kill her husband amid their ongoing divorce.
Stephanie Demetrius was taken into custody last week and charged with one count of felony conspiracy to commit a crime, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Court documents obtained by Columbus, Ohio ABC affiliate WSYX state that Demetrius, whose last name is also listed in jail records as “Demetrious,” approached the unidentified student at the Academy for Urban Scholars High School on March 26, and offered him $2,000 to murder her husband, who is also not identified in reports. The age of the student was also not disclosed.
After Demetrius allegedly gave the student a “down payment” of $250 in cash, authorities reportedly recorded a conversation between Demetrius and the student in which she repeatedly reassured the student that she was good for the remainder of the money owed. She reportedly said that she was aware he was due an additional “15,” per WSYX.
The Columbus Dispatch reported that Demetrius also took significant steps in furtherance of the alleged murder plot. For example, she allegedly provided the student with detailed information about the schedules of her husband and their children, particularly when they would and would not be in the house.
She reportedly informed the would-be killer that her husband works from home, recommending the house as a good location for a proposed shooting.
“When asked if the neighbors would hear the gunfire, she advised that they don’t care about the neighbors,” the Dispatch reported.
According to the newspaper, Demetrius and her husband initially filed for divorce in 2017, but the petition was later withdrawn. But Demetrius in April 2024 filed divorce papers for a second time, records from Franklin County Domestic Relations Court show.
A journalist with the Dispatch was reportedly able to reach Demetrius’ husband by phone to ask about the allegations against his wife, but he declined to answer, only saying that he wanted to focus on his children.
Demetrius appeared in Franklin County Municipal Court on Thursday morning where Judge Jessica D’Varga ordered her to remain in custody in lieu of $150,000 bond. The judge also issued an order prohibiting Demetrius from having any contact with her husband.
Demetrius is scheduled to appear in court again on April 11 for a preliminary hearing.
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