SEATTLE -- Prosecutors say a Kent man tried to find a willing murder victim online -- and when that didn't work, he agreed to kill an unwitting victim instead.

Shawn Tyler Skelton, 24, was charged in King County Superior Court on Wednesday with conspiracy to commit murder in the second-degree. Court papers say he posted an ad on Craigslist saying he was interested in meeting a woman who wanted to be killed during sex. Craigslist forwarded the ad to police, and an undercover officer began communicating with him.

A probable cause statement says the undercover officer told Skelton of someone he wanted murdered, and asked whether Skelton would carry out the hit. Skelton said he'd prefer a willing victim, but would murder someone else if he got paid for it.

Police arrested him when he showed up at a motel in South Seattle on Monday, carrying a knife and a length of heavy chain.

It was not immediately known if Skelton had obtained an attorney. He was being held on $1 million bail.