The letter insinuated that evidence has been destroyed and that money belonging to Kinslow was lost by the Floyd County Sheriff's Office. Turner arranged a meeting with the undercover police officer who acted as a hitman for Kinslow and allowed The Times to see the videotaped evidence.
In the first meeting between Kinslow and the undercover cop, Kinslow says, "I have the son in law from hell." The pseudo-hitman asks her if she is sure she wants the man dead and Kinslow replies, "I'd rather he disappear, his whole body and everything. He's a menace to society."
Kinslow then talks about seeking out a hitman who wanted $10,000 and says that was too much. She agrees to pay the policeman $8,000 and spends some time working out a payment schedule. She then begins volunteering information about her son in law's address and sleeping habits. She even recommends a hotel the hitman can use.
The detective then asks if she can handle the concomitant guilt related to the act. Kinslow replies, "So far I've been sleeping well. Every time I talk to you I feel better."
No money is exchanged at the meeting and Kinslow has an entire week to think it through before their next meeting. She even mentions towards the end of the encounter that she may have more work for the killer. She alludes to her stepfather, who she insinuates ripped her off in a land deal, as being a future candidate for murder.
The hitman agrees to do the job for $500 up front, but Kinslow offers $1,000 for the next meeting.
"I'd like for him to be tortured and have his [genitals] cut off," Kinslow tells the detective.
The hitman responds that a quick kill is always cleaner and manages to dissuade her from the idea of torture.
The next meeting is much shorter and Kinslow begins counting out a $1,000 onto a table minutes after entering the detective's room. She says that this is her husband's money and that he knows she is considering a hitman but that he doesn't know she has already hired one. Kinslow then agrees to pay two more installments of $3,500 over the course of four weeks. The hitman takes the money, announces that he is a cop and calls in the sheriff's department.
Kinslow is quite talkative on the tapes and doesn't appear overly nervous or afraid. Throughout both meetings Kinslow is very calm and speaks in conversational tones.
At second meeting, the only concern Kinslow expresses about the murder is a hope that it can be done when her grandchildren aren't home.
"We did contact the son-in-law and let him know what was happening," the undercover officer told The Times. "She was offered several chances to think about what she wanted to do and she chose to continue in her plan to hire me. The sheriff in Tennessee told us that the emergency room Kinslow used when she claimed she was attacked by her son-in-law [with a baseball bat] could not confirm that she'd been assaulted."
"The daughter [Lesa Hart] contradicted all of the statements Kinslow made about her husband [Daniel Hart] being abusive," Turner said. "There have been two theft charges lodged against Kinslow and each time she stole from her son-in-law or used his name for services she didn't pay for."
In her letter, Wilkes also says that nearly $3,000 seized from Kinslow at the time of her arrest had been lost, but Turner said that is not the case.
"That money came from Cheryl's husband's check," Turner said. "He has been contacted by the sheriff's office but hasn't come to their department to get it."
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