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SENTENCE Shady Cove man sentenced to federal prison in bizarre drugs and gun case Eric Austin Wheale colluded with cousin in 2014 to kill Medford lawyer Comment By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jan. 31, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jan. 31, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News A case that began in 2014 when a man was worried his father would murder a local lawyer has concluded with two federal weapons convictions and one man sentenced to federal prison. When Gerald Patrick Hook of Trail recruited his son to arrange an alibi for an intricate scheme to murder a lawyer, the son contacted authorities. Although the attack was never attempted, the FBI found evidence of weapons violations for felons Hook and his cousin, Eric Austin Wheale, of Shady Cove. Co-defendant Wheale was sentenced Tuesday to a year and a half in federal prison on a charge of felon in possession of a firearm, according to documents filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Medford. Approximately 25 firearms were seized as part of the judgment, including a 20-gauge automatic shotgun, an AR-15 machine gun, a "How to Build a Silencer" pamphlet and various ammunition and weapon accessories. Hook was sentenced in September to three years' supervised probation on a charge of prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Both sentences included requirements to complete drug and alcohol treatment programs, records show. Hook admitted to the weapons charges in April, and Wheale admitted to his charge in May. Hook's son Jon Hook tipped police and FBI that his father and Wheale were developing plans to murder Medford lawyer Matthew Fawcett. Investigators found evidence Gerald Hook and Wheale had been attempting to illegally manufacture silencers using books, pamphlets and materials. Both Wheale and Hook had prior felony convictions barring them from possessing firearms, and authorities seized numerous weapons. According to FBI documents, Hook was angry with Fawcett, who represented a restoration firm that failed to rebuild Hook's garage to his satisfaction following a 2010 fire on his property in the 1400 block of Madera Road, Trail. After the restoration business went bankrupt, Fawcett sued Hook personally and obtained a lien against Hook's property for $52,000 in late 2013. In order to avoid a sheriff's sale on the property, Hook was forced to obtain a loan that required his Social Security payment to be direct-deposited to the lending institution. In December 2013, near the conclusion of the lawsuit and litigation, Hook's wife died of a stroke. Hook told investigators Wheale's first plan was to shoot Fawcett with a shotgun from a moving vehicle, according to the FBI. Hook instead formulated a plan to dress like a homeless man outside Fawcett's office and shoot Fawcett with a crossbow. He then planned to scatter cigarette butts collected from different bars to obfuscate DNA evidence while creating an alibi of traveling to Elko, Nev. Hook recruited his son to arrange the alibi, after which his son contacted authorities. Hook told authorities he decided not to follow through with the plan, claiming to investigators that the plan was a "fantasy" and that he was "venting" to his son. Hook, who in the late 1970s was an addiction counselor for a VA facility near Palo Alto, Calif., suffered from from combat-related issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in the Vietnam War and had regularly used methamphetamine. Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat. By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jan. 31, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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