More Details Released In Murder Plot Investigation In OKC

News 9 has learned a little more about the man who alerted authorities to a murder plot that landed one man in jail.

Federal court documents unsealed on Tuesday revealed the intended target of the murder plot was a young pregnant woman. Preston Rhoads is still being held in the Oklahoma County Jail without bond as state and federal prosecutors determine what charges he will face in this case. For now he is being held for solicitation of murder after a friend and former coworker turned him in.

According to the 14 page federal affidavit and search warrant, that friend says Preston Rhoads tried to contact him on April 7, but finally did make contact with him on April 9.

That friend says the two met in person at Rhoads home in Oklahoma City on that day and that Rhoads showed him a vial and said it was ricin. He says Rhoads told him that he downloaded a poison manual from the internet and used the manual to find the method to produce ricin from castor beans.

The affidavit states Rhoads revealed the information about the ricin because he wanted to hire the friend to poison Rhoads pregnant girlfriend in order to kill the unborn baby. It says Rhoads stated that if the girlfriend were to die in the process, he would be ok with the result. That friend refused to participate and claims Rhoads got angry and told him he should not have told him about his plan as he left.

The friend contacted Rhoads again on April 10 and asked Rhoads if he should be concerned about being poisoned because he held the vial Rhoads stated was ricin. He also asked Rhoads if he were joking. But that friend felt Rhoads was not joking and that he contacted authorities, who raided Rhoads home on April 17.

That is the day Preston Rhoads received an arrest warrant. The friend's grandmother told News 9 on Wednesday that her grandson is devastated by what has happened since he considered Rhoads a close friend. But she says she's glad he told authorities saying they raised him right.

Now, because of the threat of ricin, this has turned into both a state and federal investigation and the FBI and US Attorney's Office has met with the Oklahoma County district attorney to discuss the investigation.