Man gets prison time for trying to hire a hit man in Centre County
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- Clearfield County man sentenced for trying to hire inmate to kill informant
- Judge imposed 8-to-16 year term plus about five years for parole violation
- Prosecutors say inmate cooperation and state police efforts prevented a killing
A man incarcerated at the Centre County Correctional Facility was sentenced last week to at least eight years in state prison for attempting to hire a hit man to kill a confidential police informant.
Mark C. Hackett, 64, of Clearfield County, pleaded no contest Jan. 15 to solicitation of first-degree murder and guilty to a felony drug charge. The no contest plea meant he accepted the conviction but did not admit guilt.
Hackett was sentenced by Centre County Judge Julia Rater to a maximum of 16 years in prison and will also serve about five additional years for a parole violation. He received credit for nearly 19 months served at the county jail.
Centre County prosecutors dropped another solicitation of first-degree murder case against Hackett, which accused him of seeking out a second hit man after his initial plan failed.
In both cases, Hackett was accused of offering an inmate $10,000 and methamphetamine to kill the informant with fentanyl. The opioid painkiller is many times more powerful than heroin and is a top driver of the increasing number of overdose deaths in the U.S.
“By coming forward when Mark Hackett asked the inmate to kill another person, the inmate may well have saved a life,” Assistant District Attorney Matt Metzger said Thursday in a written statement. “Hackett’s attempt to kill an informant speaks to a dangerous methamphetamine-fueled thought process which, in conjunction with his drug dealing, put the broader community at risk. Thanks to the courage of cooperating witnesses and the diligent efforts of the Pennsylvania State Police, the community is now a safer place.”
A message left Thursday with defense lawyer Ron McGlaughlin was not immediately returned.
Troopers said they listened to recorded jailhouse calls and read messages in which Hackett took “substantial steps” toward carrying out the plan. He was accused of conspiring with his girlfriend — Amanda L. Zortman, 46, of Clearfield County — to kill the informant.
Her case is pending and she remains incarcerated at the county jail.
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 3:36 PM.