An accused drug dealer arrested on multiple counts in June has been charged with attempting to hire somebody to kill a key witnessscheduled to testify against him, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
Dustin Furnal, 42, now is charged with solicitation to commit murder and tampering in a first-degree felony proceeding. His bond was revoked.
In May the Sheriff’s Office’s Special Investigations Unit became involved in a controlled purchase of drugs using a confidential informant against Furnal. After the purchase, Furnal was involved in several other illegal drug transactions, according to his Oct. 19 arrest warrant.
Furnal has been in jail since June 9 on multiple felony charges, including trafficking in fentanyl, trafficking in methamphetamine,
unlawful use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, tampering with evidence, conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of cocaine and possession of a firearm by a felon.
In September a second confidential informant notified detectives about a possible murder for hire. This inmate said Furnal asked him to contact a man with the nickname “Stretch” once he is released from jail to facilitate the hit on the witness. They discussed potentially giving the witness a “hotshot,” to lace methamphetamine with fentanyl to induce an overdose. This informant stated Furnal would pay $10,000 for the murder.
They also only used a specific communication method and had several code words or phrases in attempt to conceal their plans.
The inmate agreed to be equipped with a hidden recording device for his next contact with Furnal. During the recording, Furnal stated he still wanted to speak to his new attorney to determine if the witness being present was vital for the outcome of his case. He said it “might be irrelevant" and wouldn’t make sense to go through with the murder.
But Furnal said, “Even though, no matter what, he’s still a f——-, know what I'm saying, he’s still that, just go spray him.” Investigators believe he was referring to the witness being a “snitch.”
Scott Butler has been an editor/reporter specializing in public safety coverage for 26 years with The Florida Times-Union. He can be reached at sbutler@jacksonville.com.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Man awaiting trial is now charged with murder-for-hire of witness
