Ex-Girlfriend Among Four Charged in Murder-for-Hire Plot

On the morning of January 13, 2026, officers with the Murrieta Police Department responded to the Arbors at California Oaks apartments after a report of an unresponsive man. Inside one of the units, they found 30-year-old Aaron Parr dead. From the beginning, investigators treated the scene as a homicide. What they would uncover over the weeks that followed turned a local case into a coast-to-coast investigation.

Parr was a son, a brother, and a father, according to his family. He was 30 years old. His family described a loss that had left them reeling - a person taken suddenly, in his own home, by people who had been part of his life.

The Ex-Girlfriend and the Alleged Scheme

Less than three weeks after Parr’s body was discovered, police arrested Ignacia Perkins - Parr’s ex-girlfriend - along with an acquaintance named James Petri. Investigators alleged that Perkins had orchestrated Parr’s killing for financial gain, according to Fox News, which described the case as “unusual” for the Murrieta community.

Murrieta is a suburban city in Riverside County, not a place that sees many murder-for-hire investigations. Detectives described the alleged scheme as a coordinated effort involving multiple people, financial motivation, and deliberate planning. Physical and digital evidence gathered at the scene pointed investigators beyond California - and they followed.

A Manhunt That Crossed State Lines

As the investigation expanded, two additional suspects emerged in other states. On March 18, 2026, authorities arrested Jerry Wheeler, 34, in Brookhaven, Georgia. Kenneth Maxwell, 39, was arrested the same day in Midfield, Alabama. Both men were awaiting extradition to California as of late March, according to Fox News. Law enforcement agencies in Georgia and Alabama coordinated with Murrieta police to take both into custody.

The arrests illustrated a conspiracy that prosecutors say stretched well beyond Murrieta - a network of individuals allegedly recruited or coordinated by Perkins to carry out Parr’s killing and manage the aftermath. The full scope of each individual’s alleged role has not been publicly detailed, but the charges reflect a broad and deliberate operation.

What the Family Is Left With

Aaron Parr’s family has spoken about their loss in terms that cut through the procedural complexity of a multi-defendant murder case. He was described as a father - a detail that places his death in immediate human terms. Whatever role finances allegedly played in the alleged scheme, the outcome for his family is not financial. It is the permanent absence of a person.

Murrieta police have said little publicly about what specifically motivated the alleged plot or the nature of Perkins’ relationship with the other suspects at the time of the killing. What they have said is that the case centers on murder carried out for financial gain - and that four people across three states are now facing charges because of it.

A Case Still Moving Through the Courts

As of April 2026, Ignacia Perkins and James Petri remain in California custody. Wheeler and Maxwell are pending extradition proceedings. No trial date has been set for any of the four suspects. The case is expected to move through Riverside County courts, with the extradition timelines for the out-of-state defendants adding a layer of procedural complexity.

For Aaron Parr, the legal process that follows his death is just beginning. For his family, it is a long road toward whatever answer a courtroom can provide for the loss of a 30-year-old man found dead in his own apartment on a January morning.

References: Ex-Girlfriend and Three Others Arrested in Alleged Murder-for-Hire Plot | 2 More Arrested in Murrieta Killing, Possible Murder-for-Hire Tied to Victim’s Ex-Girlfriend