Prosecutors: Colonie resident hired person to kill man, dump body at hog farm

A Colonie man is accused of trying to hire someone to kill a man and then dump his body at a farm to be eaten by hogs.

Prosecutors say Jeal Sutherland was talking to someone to discuss a murder-for-hire. The person was actually a confidential source that was tipping off law enforcement.

The source told investigators that Sutherland in November had asked him to set fire to a vehicle belonging to the mother of the intended target, who was in prison.

The potential victim was potentially going to be released in late January. He shares a child with Sutherland’s current romantic partner, according to court documents.  

The confidential source told investigators that he has acted as an “enforcer” for Sutherland to intimidate people who owe him money.

Sutherland allegedly told the guy that the car bombing had the woman so scared that she did not pay her mortgage and now it is getting foreclosed upon.

Through a series of recorded conversations in December 2024 and January of this year, Sutherland told the informant that he wanted the person killed and his body disposed of at a hog farm in Pennsylvania using a van he could rent from a nun. The van would cost $250 and the hog farmer would need to get $1,000 to dispose of the body, according to court documents.

Sutherland was going to forgive the source’s debt for this capacity.

On Jan. 24, Sutherland and the confidential source met up to cash a check at a credit union in Colonie. The source got paid $100 for cashing the check.

During this meeting. Sutherland and the source called the “farmer,” who was actually an undercover FBI special agent, and discussed the plan.   

The “farmer” demanded advance payment and the confidential source agreed and offered the farmer some “booze,” the criminal complaint stated.

On Jan. 26, Sutherland and the source met for breakfast in Watervliet and then drove to a bowling alley in Latham. Prosecutors then say Sutherland told the source to follow him to a Schenectady address of one of his relatives. He gave the source an EZPass, bottle of Wild Turkey bourbon and $1,450 in cash, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Sutherland has been charged with use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire.

He was arraigned on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Albany. A detention hearing is scheduled for Thursday at 9:30 a.m.