Former Illinois GOP Senate Candidate Tried to Get Husband Murdered After Learning About Long-Distance Lover's Inheritance
Allison Salinas, 48, is charged with one count of Solicitation of Murder. Prosecutors filed a petition to detain Salinas on Thursday, following her arrest on Tuesday. Salinas ran as a Republican for a U.S. Senate seat in Illinois in 2021.
According to court documents released by the Tazewell County State's Attorney's Office on Thursday, Salinas came under investigation this month after a Facebook video emerged, allegedly implicating her in the murder for hire plot.
Salinas' Long-Distance Boyfriend Told Cops She Tried to Manipulate Him After Learning About His Inheritance, Told Him to Kill Her Husband
Pekin Police were contacted in February of 2024 by James Turrentine of Dallas, TX, in reference to his relationship with Salinas. He told police that the pair had briefly dated in high-school, and struck up a long-distance relationship in 2021 after Salinas reached out to him.
Turrentine told police that he felt Salinas attempted to manipulate him after she reportedly learned about an inheritance. He says Salinas also began discussing her desire to leave her husband, Patrick Salinas, without having to split assets.
Allison had allegedly begun discussions of murdering Patrick in November or December of 2023, with Turrentine trying to deflect the conversations because she reportedly wanted Turrentine to kill Patrick for them to be together.
When Turrentine Refused, She Tried to Solicit Another Person to Murder Her Husband
Turrentine stated he made it known to Allison that he would not harm Patrick, at which point Allison allegedly sought another person to murder her husband. The conversations reportedly continued for several months, with Turrentine saying he became frustrated with the topic, and indicated that he could find someone to commit the murder in the hopes that Allison would drop it.
Turrentine then told police that Allison would repeatedly ask if he found someone, then explained that he lied to her and told Allison the Secret Service contacted him about the murder for hire plot.
He says the detailed conversations stopped, but Allison was asking if he had heard anything further, as recently as two weeks ago. Turrentine also indicated that he made the Facebook video post to draw attention to the issue.
'I Need You to Make this Happen'
Turrentine provided to Pekin Police two recorded phone conversations with Allison between February and March of 2024. Allison allegedly discussed different ways to kill Patrick, with Turrentine suggesting to her that some old friends of his dad could do it. Allison allegedly stated to him that "I need you to make this happen."
Screenshots of text messages between the pair were also given to Pekin Police. On May 27th, 2024, Allison allegedly started a conversation with a picture of her husband with a text message stating "There's ur pic u need."
Turrentine replied with a thumbs up emoji, with Allison following up by texting "Can't talk, don't text back but please with everything I mean to you... Just take care of this." Court documents also reveal that Allison had allegedly sent Turrentine a screenshot on July 21st, 2024 of a Google search relating to spousal immunity in criminal cases.
Allison Also Considered Sneaking Shellfish into Patricks Food Because He was Allergic to It
Pekin Police had also interviewed Ashley Allen, a close friend of Allison's who lived with her in the fall of 2023. Allen told police that she was in the passenger's seat of a vehicle during a phone call between Allison and Turrentine, and hearing Allison allegedly discussing finding a "ghost" to murder Patrick, which she described as another term for a hitman.
Allen also testified that Allison discussed sneaking shellfish into Patrick's food, which he is allergic to. Allison was interviewed by Pekin Police on Tuesday, and reportedly acknowledged that she had discussed Patrick's murder with Turrentine for an extended period.
However, Allison maintained that she was not in a good mental state. She was asked by police about the conservations and admitted that there was no indication to Turrentine that she was not serious about the topics.
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