Topline: Investigators say Allison Salinas spent months discussing ways to kill her husband, including poison and a staged car crash.
Published: July 28, 2025 8:00 am ET
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Photo from Allison Salinas for U.S. Senate 2026 Facebook page
PEKIN, IL — A former U.S. Senate hopeful from Illinois has been placed on house arrest following allegations that she attempted to hire her ex-boyfriend to murder her husband.
Allison Salinas, 48, of Pekin, was arrested July 22 and charged with solicitation of murder after a two-week investigation by the Pekin Police Department, according to 25News Now.
Salinas will remain in custody until a suitable location for GPS-monitored home confinement is secured. She has also been ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and barred from leaving the state.
During a court hearing Friday, Judge Chris Doscotch reviewed what he described as “conniving and manipulative” communications between Salinas and a man in Texas, 25News Now reported.
The man, who told investigators he had dated Salinas briefly as a teenager and again in 2021, claimed she began rekindling their relationship after learning he had received an inheritance.
According to court records, Salinas allegedly expressed a desire to leave her husband without splitting assets and began discussing how to have him killed as early as November 2023.
The court was presented with two recorded phone calls, each roughly 50 minutes long, along with text messages exchanged between Salinas and the man between February and March of 2024. In those conversations, Salinas allegedly explored ways to commit the murder—ranging from a shellfish allergy to staging an automotive accident.
“I need you to make this happen,” she reportedly texted, later sending the man a photo of her husband and the message, “Take care of this.”
In her police interview, Salinas admitted she had been encouraging the man’s involvement in the plot for an extended period, though she insisted she was not “crazy or unstable.” She attributed her actions to being in a poor mental state. When asked by police whether the Secret Service was still investigating, Salinas inquired about the status just two weeks before her arrest.
Judge Doscotch said Salinas poses a threat to her husband, though not to the broader community, and rejected her defense attorney’s request to release her into the care of her husband as a third-party custodian. During the hearing, the judge noted a remark Salinas made during one of the calls: “Can’t raise suspicion, so I’m going to have to be a good widow.”
Salinas’s husband, who spoke in her defense during the proceeding, told the court that despite previous marital struggles, things had been “great” between them for the past year. He claimed he had never felt unsafe at home and believed his wife had done nothing wrong. He attributed the situation to mental health challenges on both sides and urged that she receive support rather than punishment.
The couple has a long and complicated legal history.
According to 25News Now, Salinas has filed multiple Orders of Protection against her husband over the years, including three within the past month alone. She has also filed for divorce three times, though none of the proceedings were finalized.
Salinas first gained public attention in 2021 when she ran for U.S. Senate as a Republican, championing a platform that included “Back the Blue” rhetoric and opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, according to the Kansas City Star.
She organized a protest in Springfield that year but ultimately did not appear on the 2022 Republican primary ballot. Court documents cited by Edgar County Watchdogs revealed she was later sued for failing to pay campaign staff and for allegedly skipping out on event payments.
After her political ambitions faded, Salinas opened the Busy Beez Bakery in Pekin, a business that later drew scrutiny when five former employees told WEEK-TV they were not paid for their work. Salinas denied the allegations in a February interview, claiming the workers had engaged in timecard fraud. She announced the closure of the bakery soon after.
Salinas is due back in court on August 7.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Ex-Senate Candidate Accused of Hiring Former Boyfriend to Kill Husband
Investigators say Allison Salinas spent months discussing ways to kill her husband, including poison and a staged car crash.
By Jacob Charles
Published: July 28, 2025 8:00 am ET
Photo from Allison Salinas for U.S. Senate 2026 Facebook page
PEKIN, IL — A former U.S. Senate hopeful from Illinois has been placed on house arrest following allegations that she attempted to hire her ex-boyfriend to murder her husband.
Allison Salinas, 48, of Pekin, was arrested July 22 and charged with solicitation of murder after a two-week investigation by the Pekin Police Department, according to 25News Now.
Salinas will remain in custody until a suitable location for GPS-monitored home confinement is secured. She has also been ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and barred from leaving the state.
During a court hearing Friday, Judge Chris Doscotch reviewed what he described as “conniving and manipulative” communications between Salinas and a man in Texas, 25News Now reported.
The man, who told investigators he had dated Salinas briefly as a teenager and again in 2021, claimed she began rekindling their relationship after learning he had received an inheritance.
According to court records, Salinas allegedly expressed a desire to leave her husband without splitting assets and began discussing how to have him killed as early as November 2023.
The court was presented with two recorded phone calls, each roughly 50 minutes long, along with text messages exchanged between Salinas and the man between February and March of 2024. In those conversations, Salinas allegedly explored ways to commit the murder—ranging from a shellfish allergy to staging an automotive accident.
“I need you to make this happen,” she reportedly texted, later sending the man a photo of her husband and the message, “Take care of this.”
In her police interview, Salinas admitted she had been encouraging the man’s involvement in the plot for an extended period, though she insisted she was not “crazy or unstable.” She attributed her actions to being in a poor mental state. When asked by police whether the Secret Service was still investigating, Salinas inquired about the status just two weeks before her arrest.
Judge Doscotch said Salinas poses a threat to her husband, though not to the broader community, and rejected her defense attorney’s request to release her into the care of her husband as a third-party custodian. During the hearing, the judge noted a remark Salinas made during one of the calls: “Can’t raise suspicion, so I’m going to have to be a good widow.”
Salinas’s husband, who spoke in her defense during the proceeding, told the court that despite previous marital struggles, things had been “great” between them for the past year. He claimed he had never felt unsafe at home and believed his wife had done nothing wrong. He attributed the situation to mental health challenges on both sides and urged that she receive support rather than punishment.
The couple has a long and complicated legal history.
According to 25News Now, Salinas has filed multiple Orders of Protection against her husband over the years, including three within the past month alone. She has also filed for divorce three times, though none of the proceedings were finalized.
Salinas first gained public attention in 2021 when she ran for U.S. Senate as a Republican, championing a platform that included “Back the Blue” rhetoric and opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, according to the Kansas City Star.
She organized a protest in Springfield that year but ultimately did not appear on the 2022 Republican primary ballot. Court documents cited by Edgar County Watchdogs revealed she was later sued for failing to pay campaign staff and for allegedly skipping out on event payments.
After her political ambitions faded, Salinas opened the Busy Beez Bakery in Pekin, a business that later drew scrutiny when five former employees told WEEK-TV they were not paid for their work. Salinas denied the allegations in a February interview, claiming the workers had engaged in timecard fraud. She announced the closure of the bakery soon after.
Salinas is due back in court on August 7.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Ex-Senate Candidate Accused of Hiring Former Boyfriend to Kill Husband
Investigators say Allison Salinas spent months discussing ways to kill her husband, including poison and a staged car crash.
By Jacob Charles
Published: July 28, 2025 8:00 am ET
Photo from Allison Salinas for U.S. Senate 2026 Facebook page
PEKIN, IL — A former U.S. Senate hopeful from Illinois has been placed on house arrest following allegations that she attempted to hire her ex-boyfriend to murder her husband.
Allison Salinas, 48, of Pekin, was arrested July 22 and charged with solicitation of murder after a two-week investigation by the Pekin Police Department, according to 25News Now.
Salinas will remain in custody until a suitable location for GPS-monitored home confinement is secured. She has also been ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and barred from leaving the state.
During a court hearing Friday, Judge Chris Doscotch reviewed what he described as “conniving and manipulative” communications between Salinas and a man in Texas, 25News Now reported.
The man, who told investigators he had dated Salinas briefly as a teenager and again in 2021, claimed she began rekindling their relationship after learning he had received an inheritance.
According to court records, Salinas allegedly expressed a desire to leave her husband without splitting assets and began discussing how to have him killed as early as November 2023.
The court was presented with two recorded phone calls, each roughly 50 minutes long, along with text messages exchanged between Salinas and the man between February and March of 2024. In those conversations, Salinas allegedly explored ways to commit the murder—ranging from a shellfish allergy to staging an automotive accident.
“I need you to make this happen,” she reportedly texted, later sending the man a photo of her husband and the message, “Take care of this.”
In her police interview, Salinas admitted she had been encouraging the man’s involvement in the plot for an extended period, though she insisted she was not “crazy or unstable.” She attributed her actions to being in a poor mental state. When asked by police whether the Secret Service was still investigating, Salinas inquired about the status just two weeks before her arrest.
Judge Doscotch said Salinas poses a threat to her husband, though not to the broader community, and rejected her defense attorney’s request to release her into the care of her husband as a third-party custodian. During the hearing, the judge noted a remark Salinas made during one of the calls: “Can’t raise suspicion, so I’m going to have to be a good widow.”
Salinas’s husband, who spoke in her defense during the proceeding, told the court that despite previous marital struggles, things had been “great” between them for the past year. He claimed he had never felt unsafe at home and believed his wife had done nothing wrong. He attributed the situation to mental health challenges on both sides and urged that she receive support rather than punishment.
The couple has a long and complicated legal history.
According to 25News Now, Salinas has filed multiple Orders of Protection against her husband over the years, including three within the past month alone. She has also filed for divorce three times, though none of the proceedings were finalized.
Salinas first gained public attention in 2021 when she ran for U.S. Senate as a Republican, championing a platform that included “Back the Blue” rhetoric and opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, according to the Kansas City Star.
She organized a protest in Springfield that year but ultimately did not appear on the 2022 Republican primary ballot. Court documents cited by Edgar County Watchdogs revealed she was later sued for failing to pay campaign staff and for allegedly skipping out on event payments.
After her political ambitions faded, Salinas opened the Busy Beez Bakery in Pekin, a business that later drew scrutiny when five former employees told WEEK-TV they were not paid for their work. Salinas denied the allegations in a February interview, claiming the workers had engaged in timecard fraud. She announced the closure of the bakery soon after.
Salinas is due back in court on August 7.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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