Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III announced that 29 year-old Jean Stanton of 5227 Transit Road, Depew, has pleaded guilty to Criminal Solicitation in the Second Degree before Erie County Court Judge Michael F. Pietruszka. This (and not Conspiracy in the Second Degree) is the highest charge for which the defendant could have been convicted had she gone to trial. In other words, the defendant was prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

In February 2014, Stanton asked a Buffalo mechanic to kill her mother-in- law. The mechanic refused, ostensibly agreed to assist Stanton in finding an assassin, and secretly notified the authorities. On March 18, 2014, Stanton met with Jason Mayhook, an undercover detective posing as a hit man. Stanton repeated her desire to be rid of her mother-in-law and even showed Mayhook where the intended victim lived. Although Stanton never agreed to hire the undercover detective (thus forestalling a viable conspiracy prosecution), Stanton was taken into custody (principally due to safety concerns for the intended victim). During an interview with Buffalo Police Detectives Earl Perrin and Craig Leone, Stanton admitted to soliciting the Buffalo mechanic to kill her mother-in-law. 

Stanton faces a maximum of seven years in state prison when she is sentenced on July 8, 2014 at 9:30 a.m. by Judge Pietruszka. 

The case was successfully prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney John Patrick Feroleto, a member of DA Sedita’s Tactical Prosecution Unit.