September 23, 2026
PRESS RELEASE
On July 15, 2026, a Santa Rosa County jury found Stephanie Perdue guilty of two counts of Conspiracy to Commit First Degree Premeditated Murder and two counts of Solicitation to Commit First Degree Premeditated Murder. On September 23, 2026, Santa Rosa Circuit Court Judge Clifton Drake sentenced Stephanie Perdue to a total of sixty years in state prison.
In December 2022, Stephanie Perdue was an inmate at the Santa Rosa County Jail and had a pending case of Aggravated Battery for allegedly shooting her husband with a firearm. Over the course of approximately six weeks, the defendant repeatedly attempted to hire two other inmates to murder her husband. This included the promise of money, a house, and the use of code words to avoid discovery by law enforcement.
The arrest and investigation were conducted by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant State Attorney Mark Alderman prosecuted the case on behalf of Ginger Bowden Madden, State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Florida. For more information, please contact Mr. Alderman at (850) 981-5500.
