A Highlandville man who allegedly tried to hire a hitman and a partner to kill his parents is in custody, charged with conspiracy to commit first degree murder. It was supposed to happen Wednesday night, but thankfully, the hitmen 26 year old Donald L. Keck met with were undercover cops.

According to court documents, Donald L. Keck was looking for a hit man for a week or more. It just happens Springfield Police found out, contacted the Christian County Sheriff, and then officers with COMET got involved. "I am very pleased with the way law enforcement in this area do work together," says Christian County Prosecutor Ron Cleek.

Someone cooperating with officers picked Keck up Wednesday evening at his parents home on Sawmill Road, where he also lived. That person took him to meet two men in Ozark along Highway J, where Keck gave them a diagram of his parents house.

According to the probable cause statement, he instructed the men which door to enter, and how to get to his parents' bedroom. It also states Keck told the men he had broken all the firearms in the house, so they wouldn't work. The men were instructed to also steal a flat screen TV and some tools to make it look like a robbery, and then set the house on fire.

Keck planned on collecting the money from his parents' life insurance policy and then paying the hit men $50,000. "According to the probable cause statement, that was one of the things he had checked on last week, to make sure he could get that money quickly, so it was kind of like, allegedly, murder for hire on credit," says Cleek.

Officers arrested Keck shortly after the meeting in Ozark on Highway 65. The suspect's mother told us off-camera her son was on depression medication. Until officers showed up at her door Wednesday night, she only knew Donald had left with a woman who came to the house, wanting to speak with him. Keck told officers he has anger problems, and probably would have called the whole thing off.

The prosecutor says Donald L. Keck has at least three prior felony convictions. He's also had four protection orders filed against him since 2004.