A 37-year-old woman from Wisconsin for engaging in a spree of fraud. Sentenced to 30 years in prison. She was sentenced for conspiracy to murder as well as various other related offenses. The actual trial spanned just three weeks. It revealed a horror scheme to murder a businessman in South Yardley, Birmingham. Betro had 52 prior convictions. These charges ranged from possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear to the importation of ammunition into the United Kingdom.
In August 2019 with intent to commit murder, Betro journeyed to the UK. He commented that he had been recruited by Mohammed Nazir after their meeting on a dating app. In Birmingham, Betro sought to implement her vision. She aimed and fired a weapon at point-blank range at her intended victim and declared her intent to kill him. The firearm was useless, and Betro’s target fled the scene uninjured.
Following the failed attempt on the victim’s life, Betro sent a threatening text message to the father of the man she had tried to kill, stating: “Stop playing hide n seek.” This powerful message further emphasized the willful intent of her acts. She attempted to escape the country just hours after the murder. After that, she went back to the USA, and then on to Armenia.
Law enforcement authorities subsequently arrested Betro in Armenia, resulting in her extradition back to the UK to stand trial. At sentencing, Judge Simon Drew KC noted that Betro played a central role in the conspiracy. Instead, he threw out her allegations that Nazir had groomed her.
“So far as you are concerned, clearly you had a leading role. I accept that Nazir recruited you, but you were the gunwoman,” – Judge Simon Drew KC
The judge further remarked on the gravity of her actions by stating, “You went beyond simply reaching an agreement to kill and, in reality, you did intend to kill Mr. Ali. It is only a matter of chance that Mr. Ali wasn’t killed.” The language of her statement underscored the severity of her intentions and the harm that would have resulted if the weapon had performed as intended.
The court heard how Betro was engaged in a “complex, well-planned conspiracy to murder.” The judge found her pulling the trigger on two distinct occasions to be especially revealing of her state of mind. We further argue that this degree of premeditation had an important legal impact on the ultimate sentencing decision.
“You were engaged in a complex, well-planned conspiracy to murder. You were prepared to pull the trigger and did so on two separate occasions.” – Judge Simon Drew KC
The case has received considerable national attention, mainly because of the violence involved. It has international elements, between cross-border online recruitment and extradition processes. Betro’s pursuit of nefarious deeds is an ominous example of how technological advancement can empower transnational crime.