Central Minnesota man's plea deal dismisses case alleging plot to have father killed

A central Minnesota man admitted Wednesday to a burglary count in exchange for dismissal of charges that he offered to pay $50,000 to have his father killed.

Robert C. Thomas Sr., 39, of Sauk Centre, pleaded guilty in Todd County District Court and was sentenced to five years' probation on a count of conspiracy to commit burglary in connection with an August 2021 break-in at his father's Long Prairie apartment. According to court documents, Robert Thomas Sr.'s wife was having an affair with his father, 56-year-old Scott Thomas.

Thomas admitted to finding a Twin Cities man who agreed to ransack the apartment. According to court records, the man entered through a window while Scott Thomas and Robert Thomas' wife, Crystal Thomas, were there. The would-be hit man saw Scott Thomas and went back out the same way.

County Attorney John Lindemann said the deal was struck to have the charge of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder dismissed because it "would have been difficult for the state to prove at trial."

The case against Robert Thomas involved the BCA agent acting as a murder-for-hire co-conspirator, according to the prosecution.

Scott Thomas said in a victim impact statement before sentencing that he opposed the deal struck between the County Attorney's Office and Robert Thomas' defense.

Reached by phone Wednesday afternoon, Scott Thomas told the Star Tribune that it's difficult to think that his son allegedly plotted to kill him.

"I was hoping he'd still be charged with the original charge," said Scott Thomas, who added that he and Crystal Thomas, 35, are still seeing each other.

According to the murder-for-hire charge:

A confidential informant tipped off law enforcement in late March that Thomas had earlier paid $10,000 to gang members to have his father killed. In one instance, the would-be killer went to a home in summer 2021 but didn't go through with the shooting.

Local law enforcement arranged with the BCA to record a meeting with Thomas and one of its agents. On April 6, Thomas and the agent met in the Coborn's grocery store parking lot in Long Prairie as video and audio recorded their exchange. Thomas made it clear he wanted the family member killed.

The agent asked Thomas for the monetary terms for the plot, and he said he was in financial difficulty because of paying others who failed to carry out the killing. Thomas assured the agent he would inherit "several assets upon the targeted family member's death, assets that he would be able to sell for cash."

The agent said he was affiliated with the gang members he hired previously and could get his money from them. Thomas said he would pay the agent $50,000 in installments after the killing.

Law enforcement visited Thomas on April 10 at his workplace and arrested him. While in custody, "he largely acknowledged that all of the events stated [in the charging document] happened as described," the complaint continued.