Murder-for-Hire Plot Lands Fairburn Man a 20-Year Sentence in Cobb Court

Cobb County District Attorney Sonya Allen announced that Samuel Etuk, a 38-year-old Fairburn man, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted of soliciting the murder of a witness in connection with a 2021 armed robbery that he orchestrated. Superior Court Judge Henry Thompson sentenced Etuk to 10 years in prison, to be served consecutively.

According to Etuk’s arrest warrant, in January 2021, Mylea King called 911 to report an armed robbery at her Cumberland apartment. King, who operated an at-home nail business, told police that she had been contacted via Instagram by a man using the alias “Darren Herring” who requested a manicure.

When Herring arrived for his appointment, he briefly left and returned with masked men who forced their way into King’s apartment. The assailants assaulted King, bound her with tape, and used a lamp cord and bedsheet to restrain her before stealing her laptop, debit card, passport, and firearm. During the robbery, one of the intruders pointed King’s gun at her and threatened to shoot her.

The men fled the scene, but police later identified two of the assailants as Etuk and 35-year-old Michael Hansell, an unhoused man. King said she had previously met Etuk through a mutual acquaintance, and investigators found messages on Etuk’s phone coordinating the crime. On March 8, 2021, Etuk and Hansell were arrested.

While in custody for the robbery, Etuk solicited the murder of King. He offered $10,000 to an inmate with ties to the Aryan Brotherhood for the hit. The inmate reported the solicitation to authorities, leading to an undercover operation in which an agent posed as a hitman. A search of Etuk’s jail cell uncovered notes detailing the murder-for-hire plot. Etuk also had a third party contact King by phone, offering her money and a computer in exchange for her cooperation in dismissing the charges.

Etuk faced several charges, including felony burglary, armed robbery, kidnapping, false imprisonment, aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit a felony, criminal solicitation, and influencing a witness. He was ultimately found guilty of criminal solicitation to commit murder and influencing a witness.

Judge Thompson issued not guilty verdicts on the armed robbery, aggravated assault, kidnapping, and false imprisonment charges due to insufficient evidence. After 10 hours of deliberation, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the first-degree burglary and conspiracy to commit murder charges. The state has elected not to retry these counts.“This guilty verdict demonstrates our commitment to holding people accountable for violent crimes,” said DA Sonya Allen. “I’m proud of the hard work of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners in securing justice for the victim.”