SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Sarasota man sentenced to 25 years in prison for child sexual abuse tried to hire a hitman to kill the entire family in Oregon before his trial, in order to get his case dismissed, according to an affidavit.

Leland Patrick Harper, 63, was convicted in Oregon on 59 counts of child sex crimes and 14 counts of witness tampering and bribery in October 2023. In January 2024, he was arrested for several counts of sexual battery and molestation. Harper is currently seeking an appeal amid the civil lawsuit with the victim’s family.

On Feb. 5, a witness came forward to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, claiming that Harper asked for their help in finding someone to kill the Oregon family for $30,000, the document said. Harper also asked for the murder to be completed before his Sarasota trial.

According to the witness, Harper admitted to his Oregon conviction for “touching a little girl.” He claimed he was innocent and that the victim’s family just wanted his money. Harper wrote a letter, in front of the witness, detailing the plan to have the child and her parents killed prior to his trial to help with the appeal in his Oregon case. He added that if the father’s daughter from another marriage was there, to have her killed too.

Harper requested photos of the family and confirmation that they were still living in the same home, so the hitman “had the right people” before he’d wire the money. Harper was hoping to have the family dead by May 2025, the affidavit said.

Harper requested the murder to be staged as a murder-suicide, framing the father as the sexual abuser of the young girl. The suspect said he wanted to send emails from the father’s phone, admitting to the abuse and clearing Harper’s name. He told the witness he hoped this plan would have his charges dropped and the Oregon lawsuit dismissed to free him from incarceration.

Harper requested that the victim’s family feel a “mountain of terror” before they were murdered and know that “This is for Lee,” so that he can have a “chance for a life again,” the document stated.

Audio recordings from the meeting between Harper and the witness were obtained by the sheriff’s office. Harper could be heard saying things such as, “No face no case. If there are no witnesses, there is no trial.” He also said that “ending that genetic legacy is doing the world a [redacted] favor.”

When the witness allegedly asked Harper if the murders would bother him, he said, “Nope. No. I know my mind. That’s how I am. Stone cold sociopath, that’s what I am.”

On March 6, Harper’s wife wired $29,998.87 from a recently opened bank account for the murders.

The sheriff’s office found that Harper intentionally tried to kill four people— a father, a mother, and children, related to his nine counts of child sex abuse case. He has been charged with four counts of solicitation to commit premeditated murder.

WFLA.com has reached out to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office for additional information.