Two Rolla residents and one Newburg man are scheduled for sentencing in December after recently pleading guilty to federal charges involving a murder-for-hire conspiracy, according to Acting United States Attorney Michael W. Reap.

Roy Cameron, 42, of Rolla; Elsie Cameron, 59, of Rolla, and Todd J. Busque, 32, of Newburg, all having pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit murder for hire on Oct. 2, have been scheduled for a sentencing hearing Dec. 29.

Between March and July, all three defendants conspired with Doolittle resident Douglas Braidlow to have Mike Gresham and, or, Jimmy Dean Seest killed so they could not testify against Braidlow in a trial, according to court documents.

Braidlow was first arrested in January and charged with conspiracy to possess, with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. He later pleaded guilty Sept. 8 to federal charges of drug trafficking and conspiracy to tamper with a witness by attempted murder.

According to information received from the U.S. Attorney’s office, the murder-for-hire conspiracy was first initiated when Braidlow’s bond was revoked in March after a confidential informant informed a federal agent he had purchased approximately three grams of methamphetamine from Braidlow.

Subsequently, Braidlow instructed Roy Cameron and Busque to “take care of” the informant.
Cameron then contacted his mother, Elsie Cameron, who told her son that Seest was the person who needed to be killed.

Seest, 48, of Rolla, arrested the same time as Braidlow, also had pleaded guilty to related charges.

Written correspondence between Braidlow and Roy Cameron while they were both in jail confirmed the double murder-for-hire plot, according to court records.

Roy and Elsie Cameron and Busque are scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 29.

Conspiracy to use interstate commerce facilities to commit murder for hire carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and, or, fines up to $250,000.

Shortly after the Camerons’ and Busque’s guilty pleas were entered in court, Reap commended the work on the case by agents with the U.S. Forest Service, the South Central Drug Task Force, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, the Rolla Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeannette Graviss, who is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.