An Illinois woman who once ran for U.S. Senate is now behind bars, accused of trying to orchestrate her husband’s murder with the help of an ex-boyfriend—part of a murder-for-hire scheme she allegedly hoped would spare her a divorce and protect her finances.
Allison Salinas, 48, of Pekin, Illinois, has been charged with solicitation of murder and faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted, according to court records.
Salinas, who previously launched a failed bid to challenge Sen. Tammy Duckworth in 2022, is accused of repeatedly pressuring her former high school boyfriend—now living in Dallas, Texas—to kill her husband. She allegedly suggested multiple ways to carry out the crime, including using shellfish, which her husband is allergic to.
According to an affidavit from the Tazewell County State’s Attorney’s Office, Salinas rekindled a long-distance relationship with the ex-boyfriend in 2021. While still married, she allegedly manipulated the man emotionally and financially, especially after learning he had come into an inheritance.
Eventually, authorities say, the conversations took a darker turn. Starting around late 2023, Salinas allegedly began pressing him to help her “get rid of” her husband so they could be together and she wouldn’t have to split assets in a divorce.
The man told investigators he initially tried to brush off her disturbing requests. But the conversations persisted—and grew more detailed—prompting him to contact the Pekin Police Department in February 2024. At that point, he also began recording calls and saving text messages that prosecutors say captured clear references to the murder plot.
According to the affidavit, Salinas sent the ex a photo of her husband on May 27 along with the message:
“There’s ur pic u need.”
When he responded with a thumbs-up emoji, she replied urgently:
“Can’t talk, don’t text back but please with everything I mean to you… Just take care of this.”
In another message, she wrote:
“Please make him go away.”
Prosecutors say Salinas also searched for information on spousal immunity and whether a wife could be forced to testify against her husband in court. Screenshots of those searches were allegedly sent to her ex.
In one conversation, she reportedly floated the idea of poisoning her husband with shellfish. A former roommate who witnessed a video call between Salinas and the ex confirmed the two were “openly discussing” hiring a “ghost” to carry out the killing—a term Salinas allegedly used as code for “hitman.”
In an interview with police on July 22, Salinas admitted she had discussed her husband’s murder “for an extended period” and acknowledged that her ex would have had no reason to think she wasn’t serious. Though she claimed she was in a poor mental state at the time, she insisted she was neither crazy nor unstable.
The affidavit also contains a disturbing revelation from her past: Salinas told detectives she had previously been married to Delbert Mills, a man convicted of murdering his wife in Texas in 2003. She claimed she wasn’t involved in that case but admitted Mills rushed their marriage afterward—allegedly to invoke spousal immunity and prevent her from testifying against him.
Authorities say Salinas remained silent when confronted with the implication that sending a photo of her husband was an effort to target him for murder.
The FBI assisted in the investigation. Salinas appeared in court for a detention hearing on Friday. Her next court date has not been announced.
