What did Ashley Grayson do? Murder-for-hire plot explained as influencer gets a 10-year prison sentence

Ashley Grayson, an influencer known for her online courses and business advice, was sentenced to 10 years on October 31, 2024, by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas L. Parker on a charge of murder-for-hire without parole. The accusation is linked to a case where the 35-year-old attempted to murder three individuals by paying a friend from Memphis.

WREG News reported on November 18, 2024, that Grayson had issues with a woman from Southaven, Mississippi since 2021. The woman, who was one of Grayson's targets, was operating some form of online business like Ashley. Apart from her, Ashley also targeted her ex and another anonymous woman from Texas who had criticized her online.

According to the Men's Journal report dated November 25, 2024, Ashley Grayson and the Southaven woman had never met but the former was suspicious that the woman was reportedly harassing her by using fake accounts on social media to target her and her business.

Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren described the case as a "21st-century crime," where online disputes take a worse turn in the real world. Reagan's statement also read:

"The defendant tried to hire someone to murder a woman over things that happened exclusively on the internet. Fortunately, no one was physically hurt in this case, but the victim and her family still felt a severe and emotional impact as the result of the defendant's actions."

Although Ashley's husband, Joshua Grayson, was also allegedly involved in the entire scheme, he was acquitted by the jury after the case went on trial in March this year, as per WREG News.

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Ashley Grayson reportedly planned the murder around two years ago

As mentioned before, Ashley Grayson had some problems with a Mississippi-based woman in 2021. Grayson then got in touch with a lady living in Memphis the following year and requested the latter to travel to Dallas so they could talk about a "business opportunity."

A press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, dated November 18, 2024, stated that Ashley and the Memphis woman had worked together in the past. In September 2022, the woman went to Dallas, accompanied by her husband, and they met Ashley and her husband Joshua.

Ashley and Joshua offered to pay $20,000 for each killing, as they told the couple about their real plan. Meanwhile, the Memphis woman recorded her video call with Ashley on one occasion, as per the press release.

During the video call, Ashley Grayson reportedly offered an additional $5,000 to the Memphis woman, saying that she wanted the Southaven woman murdered as soon as possible. Since the Memphis couple opted not to get involved in the plan, they told Ashley and Joshua that the attempt was unsuccessful.

The duo also sent a photo to Ashley and Joshua from an unknown spot in Memphis, featuring police lights, following which they demanded the couple pay half of the money. The pair then received $10,000 from Ashley and Joshua in Dallas.

Ashley and Joshua were indicted for using an interstate facility in the commission of murder-for-hire in July last year. Although Ashley Grayson has been sentenced, the identities of the victims alongside the Memphis woman and her husband are yet to be officially revealed by the authorities.

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According to a Times Now report dated November 4, 2024, Ashley Grayson became a popular face on social media when she started a business called 'Digital Course Recipe,' aiming to teach people how to change their interests into an online course.