South Jersey man indicted for allegedly hiring hitman to kill 14-year-old

HADDONFIELD, New Jersey (WPVI) -- A Camden County, New Jersey man has been indicted for allegedly trying to have a 14-year-old killed.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said 31-year-old John Musbach, who most recently lived in Haddonfield, New Jersey, allegedly paid $20,000 in bitcoin to target the teen.

Investigators said in 2015, Musbach was exchanging pornographic videos and pictures with the victim who was 13-years-old at the time.

Authorities arrested Musbach back in 2016 for that, and he pleaded guilty.

According to court documents, the victim's parents were the ones who found the messages exchanged with Musbach on the online chat room, and they notified police.

A year later, court documents show some messages allegedly arranged on a murder for hire website. Musbach is accused of asking if a 14-year-old was too young to target. When the person on the other end responded that the age was not a problem, the amount was paid.

Action News spoke with a local cybersecurity expert about ways parents can monitor their child's activity online.

"Usually whatever the browser is, the browser has a temporary area that records those chats, so one of the things that parents could do is monitor those files and see what's going on," said Peggy McCooey, the graduate director for the cybersecurity program at La Salle University.

McCoey said whether on the dark web or using a social media app, your digital footprint can be tracked.

"It's traceable and you have to know how to trace it, that's what the cybersecurity specialists are doing. They're looking at where the footprint is being left," said McCoey.

McCoey also recommended looking at your phone bill to track who your child is sending messages to most frequently.