As many of our readers here in Washington would agree, there are few worst things to go through in your life than a divorce. But while this may be the general sentiment for the majority of people, a story out of Michigan this month demonstrates that there are some things that may be far worse, such as discovering that your wife would rather kill you than get a divorce.
At this time, a 21-year-old woman is in police custody after she allegedly hired a hitman to kill her husband. Thankfully, the alleged hitman was actually an undercover police officer who video taped his two meetings with the woman. According to the woman during the recorded meetings, as terrible as murder sounded, she felt it would be easier than divorce.
Though this story is rare and extreme in nature, it certainly brings up some complicated family law issues for residents here in Washington to consider. First, there is the issue of divorce. If the husband did not know about his wife’s intentions before, he certainly does now. This may mean that he will want to file for divorce at this time. He will want to take into consideration all of his assets though when doing so, including his insurance policy from which his wife had intended to collect upon his death.
There is also child custody to consider. In this particular situation, the couple has two children. Will the allegations against the mother affect a judge’s decision in a custody hearing? Could a conviction in turn change that decision?
While a majority of divorce cases are not as complicated as this one, they may still carry with them potentially problematic questions that cannot easily be answered without the help of a knowledgeable attorney. For this particular family, seeking a skilled lawyer may be the only way to figure out the difficult family law matters that lie ahead.
Source: The New York Daily Mail, “VIDEO: Ex-Jersey girl giggles as she hires ‘hitman’ to kill husband rather than deal with divorce,” Larry McShane, July 9, 2013