In a chilling turn of events that has left a Columbus, Ohio, community reeling, a high school teacher stands accused of orchestrating a sinister plot to have her estranged husband killed—a scheme that unraveled thanks to the vigilance of a teenager’s mother. Stephanie Demetrius, a 44-year-old substitute teacher at the Academy for Urban Scholars High School, allegedly offered one of her students $2,000 to carry out the murder of her soon-to-be ex-husband, a man she had been married to since 2004. The details of this case, emerging in early April 2025, paint a disturbing picture of betrayal, desperation, and a plan that might have succeeded if not for a parent’s intuition.
The allegations came to light when the student’s mother, growing suspicious of her child’s behavior, decided to inspect his cellphone. What she discovered was nothing short of horrifying: evidence of a murder-for-hire arrangement, complete with a $250 cash down payment already exchanged. Alarmed, she wasted no time in contacting the Columbus Division of Police, a decision that authorities say prevented a tragedy with far-reaching consequences. “Without their help, some of this might not have come to light,” said Sergeant James Fuqua during a press conference. “This was a situation where a parent was able to capture specific things inside this young person’s phone and alert authorities.”
Investigators quickly moved to gather evidence, uncovering digital records that included a recorded phone call between Demetrius and the student. In that conversation, Demetrius reportedly provided chilling specifics: her husband worked from home, she noted when their children would be out of the house, and she even dismissed concerns about neighbors hearing gunfire, allegedly stating they “don’t care about the neighbors.” She assured the student that the remaining payment—beyond the initial $250—would not be an issue, a promise that underscored her apparent determination to see the plan through. The evidence paints a portrait of a woman who, amid a contentious divorce, turned to an unthinkable solution.
Demetrius was arrested on April 1, 2025, and charged with felony conspiracy, a first-degree offense that could carry a life sentence if she is convicted. She appeared in Franklin County Municipal Court two days later, where her public defender vehemently denied the accusations, labeling them a “fabrication” during a virtual hearing. The judge set her bond at $150,000, with strict conditions upon her release: no contact with the student or her husband, no alcohol or drug use, and compliance with existing protection orders. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 11 at 9 a.m., a date that will mark the next chapter in a case that has gripped the city.
The backdrop to this alleged plot is a marriage that had been deteriorating for years. Court records reveal that Demetrius and her husband, Carlington Demetrius, were in the midst of divorce proceedings, with tensions escalating to the point of violence. In July 2024, her husband filed for emergency custody of their children, citing a series of alarming incidents. He alleged that Demetrius had stabbed him with scissors in front of one of their children, set fire to their home’s basement, and even dismantled their furnace during freezing weather. These claims, if true, suggest a pattern of erratic and dangerous behavior that may have culminated in the murder-for-hire scheme.
For the Academy for Urban Scholars High School, a charter institution on Columbus’s east side, the scandal has cast a shadow over its community. Demetrius, who held an active substitute teaching license since August 2022, was in a position of trust, making her alleged actions all the more shocking. Sergeant Fuqua emphasized the broader impact, noting that a successful plot “would have changed the life of this young person, the classmates, the teachers, the victim’s family—so many people within the community would have been rocked by this.”
As the case moves forward, questions linger about what drove Demetrius to such extremes and how a student became entangled in her plans. The teenager involved has not faced charges at this stage, with police crediting the swift intervention of his mother for halting the scheme before it could progress further. For now, Columbus waits as the legal process unfolds, grappling with a story that feels more like a crime novel than reality—a stark reminder of the fragility of trust and the depths of human conflict.