An Oklahoma man was arrested for allegedly attempting to hire a hitman for to assassinate a couple who sued him – and won more than a half-million dollars – for selling them a house they said was infested with bats.
Keith Barton Cathey is now facing two counts of soliciting murder in the first degree, according to court records. Police took Barton into custody on September 4, after which he was released on $200,000 bond and ordered not to have any contact with the alleged targets of the plot.
Reached by phone on Monday, Cathey told The Independent, “It was a misunderstanding. I don’t want to talk about that.”
Sheryl Fritts, who, along with husband Mike, purchased her “dream home” from Cathey in 2015, sued him the following year after realizing the structure was overrun with the winged critters – and winning a $526,000 jury verdict – said on Monday that she could not comment without first speaking with her attorney.
However, in response to Cathey’s contention, Fritts told The Independent, “His whole life is a misunderstanding.”
She said she was at the airport, leaving town in order to stay safe.
David Keesling, the attorney representing the pair, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
A probable cause affidavit obtained by Tulsa CBS affiliate KOTV says an informant told police that Cathey had asked him if he knew anyone who could execute the Frittses.
“These people sued me 4 years after I sold my f***ing house, they got bats in their house,” Cathay allegedly said. “… If you know a hitman, I’d give $100,000 to have those people killed. I’m not even joking.”
Cathey told the unidentified individual that he “can’t find a hitman to save my life… I’ve even asked some homeless people,” following up with a plea for the contact to do the deed himself.
“I’ll even take you and drop you off,” Cathay said, according to the affidavit.
With costs and fees, the $526,000 court judgment the Frittses were awarded exceeded $1 million, according to KOTV.
The two said they were forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to get rid of the bats, which Cathey never mentioned before the sale. They discovered the infestation less than a day after moving in, and spent more on abatement than they did on the house itself, they said last year. Initially, the couple thought they were dealing only with a bad water leak, which drenched four of the home’s bedrooms, according to KOTV.
They soon found what they thought were bedbugs, only to realize the insects were in fact bat bugs, after which the Frittses were shocked to find hundreds of bats living in their walls.
The home’s insulation and drywall turned out to be soaked through with bat guano, and required the pair to replace the outside brickwork and strip the entire second floor interior down to the studs, Sheryl said at the time.
An inspection prior to the purchase came up clear, and Cathey never disclosed the issue, according to the couple.
“Definitely looking forward to putting this chapter behind us, having our family and friends over, and celebrating the holidays in the house we thought we bought back in 2015,” Mike told KOTV last year.
Cathay was arrested on September 4 and freed the same day. He is due to be arraigned in court on September 11 at 9 a.m.
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