In the early morning hours of September 4, 2023, the quiet of Elmer Thomas Park in Lawton, Oklahoma, was shattered by the sound of gunshots. When police arrived, they discovered the body of John Velas near a walking track. He had been shot three times in the head. This tragic discovery was not the beginning of the story, but rather a grim chapter in a narrative of alleged domestic turmoil and a murder-for-hire plot.
Just two days prior to his death, Velas had contacted the Lawton police
with a chilling warning: he believed his wife, Susen Adell Hunter, wanted him dead. He reported that a man, whom Hunter had allegedly tried to hire to kill him, had approached him and revealed the plot. Hunter had purportedly offered the man a substantial sum of money to carry out the murder. Despite this forewarning, Velas was killed before any protective measures could prove effective.
The investigation into Velas's death quickly focused on his estranged wife, with whom he was reportedly going through a lengthy and contentious divorce involving multiple properties. Investigators learned that Hunter had allegedly approached two different men, offering a large payment for her husband's murder. Both men apparently declined the offer.
Following an investigation, Susen Hunter was arrested and charged with solicitation for first-degree murder. Later, the charges were elevated to include murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and obstructing an officer. While Hunter maintains her innocence, claiming she was a victim of domestic abuse and that Velas had set her up, she was booked on a first-degree murder charge with her bond set at one million dollars.
