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ORLANDO, Fla. - A Seminole County inmate already facing life in prison on child sex charges has now been accused of orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot targeting his adolescent victim, a prosecutor and a police detective.
What we know:
Prosecutors say Talil M. Vann, 24, attempted to hire a hit man, who was actually an undercover Seminole County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) deputy, to carry out the killings. Investigators said Vann communicated through coded language in letters and jail email, instructing the supposed killer to plant a pipe bomb on a remote-controlled car to target the Altamonte Springs detective who investigated his case.
Talil M. Vann (Credit: Seminole County Jail)
Vann allegedly offered his BMW as payment and provided personal details of his young victim, including her phone number, date of birth, school and social media accounts, according to arrest records. Codes included phrases such as "birds are beautiful" to mean kill the prosecutor and "the sky was cloudy today" to mean kill the detective.
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Authorities said a confidential informant first tipped them off to the scheme in May. A search of Vann’s jail cell uncovered detailed plans and written codes. He was charged with three counts of solicitation to commit first-degree murder and one count of solicitation to tamper with a witness, each punishable by up to life in prison.
What they're saying:
"At times like these, we are grateful for our close working relationship with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office," Assistant State Attorney Dan Faggard said in a statement. "We are especially grateful for the sheriff’s office’s excellent investigation in this case and its efforts to keep our prosecutors, law enforcement partners and vulnerable victims safe from dangerous predators like Vann."
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What's next:
Vann was already facing two counts of sexual battery of a child younger than 12 and one count of using a child in a sexual performance, stemming from video evidence of the assault. He remains held without bond at the Seminole County Jail.
His arraignment on the new charges is scheduled for Sept. 16. A different prosecutor has been assigned to handle the case.
The Source: The information in this article comes from a report shared by the Office of the State Attorney, 18th Judicial Circuit.