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Substitute teacher offered student $2,000 to kill her husband, Ohio officials say

A substitute teacher is accused of trying to hire a student to kill her husband at the Academy for Urban Scholars High School in Columbus, Ohio.
A substitute teacher is accused of trying to hire a student to kill her husband at the Academy for Urban Scholars High School in Columbus, Ohio. Google Street View Image September 2024 © 2025 Google

An Ohio substitute teacher was arrested after officials said she tried to hire a student to kill her estranged husband.

Stephanie Demetrius, 44, was arrested April 2 on a charge of felony conspiracy, according to court records.

Demetrius was a substitute teacher at the Academy for Urban Scholars High School in Columbus, according to WCMH.

McClatchy News reached out to Demetrius’ attorney and the Academy for Urban Scholars for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Demetrius is accused of offering the student $2,000 to kill her husband, WSYX reported.

According to police, Demetrius gave the student a $250 down payment, WCMH reported. Then, a phone call was recorded between Demetrius and the student in which Demetrius confirmed the remainder of the payment, the outlet reported.

The teacher told the student that her husband worked from home and let the student know when her kids would be out of the house, according to WSYX.

“When asked if the neighbors would hear the gunfire, she advised that they don’t care about the neighbors,” court records say, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

When the student’s mother checked his phone, she found messages between the student and Demetrius, WCMH reported.

“There was communication back and forth via cellphone,” Columbus police Sgt. James Fuqua told the news outlet. “So not only was she involved with this young person at school, but she was also involved with this young person via phone conversations. And we believe there was other outside communication outside the school.”

Demetrius is being held on a $150,000 bond and was ordered to have no contact with her husband, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

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This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Substitute teacher offered student $2,000 to kill her husband, Ohio officials say."

Jennifer Rodriguez
mcclatchy-newsroom
Jennifer Rodriguez is a McClatchy National Real-Time reporter covering the Central and Midwest regions. She joined McClatchy in 2023 after covering local news in Youngstown, Ohio, for over six years. Jennifer has made several achievements in her journalism career, including receiving the Robert R. Hare Award in English, the Emerging Leader Justice and Equality Award, the Regional Edward R. Murrow Award and the Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan Award.
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