Alabama Man and Brother Convicted of Arranging Murder of Ex-Wife to Avoid Child Support and Alimony Payments
An Alabama man and his brother have been convicted of orchestrating the murder of the man’s ex-wife in 2017, all in an attempt to evade child support and alimony payments, according to a statement released by the US Department of Justice.
Jason Starr, 50, and his brother, Darin Starr, 54, were found guilty of plotting the murder of Jason’s ex-wife, Sara Starr, after a judge ordered him to pay a significant portion of his income as child support and alimony following their divorce. Sara Starr was shot and killed outside her home in 2017.
The jury found both men guilty of racketeering murder, and they are now facing a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Assistant US Attorney Joshua Wendell emphasized that there is no perfect crime and that individuals who commit such acts will eventually be caught and prosecuted.
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Jason Starr, whose net income was approximately $6,700 a month, had been ordered to pay $2,550 a month in child support and alimony to Sara. Over a span of two months, starting in September 2017, Jason transferred approximately $2,600 to Darin, who resided in Texas. The jury determined that this money was payment for the murder of Sara.
Following the conviction, Darin Starr’s lawyers, J. Carlton Taylor and Aimee Cobb Smith, expressed their disagreement with the verdict, claiming that it was based on emotion and speculation rather than concrete evidence. They added that Darin Starr intends to pursue all available legal remedies to have his conviction overturned.
CNN reached out to Jason Starr’s lawyers for comment but has yet to receive a response.
Sara Starr, a 38-year-old elementary school teacher and mother of two sets of twins, had divorced Jason in July 2017, and the couple shared custody of their children. Cell phone records showed that Darin Starr traveled from Texas to Coffee County in Alabama just before Thanksgiving in 2017 and was near Sara’s home on multiple occasions. The evidence indicated that Darin turned off his phone at midnight on November 27, 2017, and seven hours later, he shot and killed Sara in her driveway as she was leaving for work. Darin turned his phone back on around 8:00 a.m. when he was heading back to Texas on I-10.
Defense lawyers argued during the trial that investigators failed to find a murder weapon or an eyewitness to the crime.
Both men will undergo a sentencing hearing in the coming months, as determined by the DOJ.