Former lawyer accused of trying to hire someone to kill a person, authorities say

KENTUCKY (WXIX/Gray News) - A former Kentucky lawyer is accused of trying to hire someone to kill a person, according to federal authorities.

Chase Cox, 33, faces one count each of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire and making false statements to a federal agency.

A federal indictment alleges Cox tried to pay a hitman using USPS between Sept. 25 and Nov. 3.

When authorities asked him on Oct. 8 whether there was any reason to believe he would threaten the intended victim, Cox allegedly lied.

“No, I love [the victim] with all my heart, I would never put [him/her] in harm’s way,” Cox said, according to the indictment.

In June 2024, Cox was sentenced to six months in jail for breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment.

Prosecutors said he stole her iPad, read her text messages to track her down and then broke the device.

A judge later suspended his sentence and granted him probation after Cox pleaded that he would “be successful in the community.”

Eight days after his release from jail, Cox hired a “felon friend” to vandalize his ex-girlfriend’s car.

Cox is being held at the Shelby County Detention Center, where he is serving a five-year sentence for violating his probation after testing positive for cocaine and alcohol.

U.S. marshals will bring Cox to federal court in Covington for his arraignment on Dec. 9.

If convicted on both counts, Cox faces up to 15 years in federal prison, a $500,200 fine and six years of supervised release.