Woman who tried to hire hitman to kill her ex-husband faces up to 30 years in prison

A Manatee County woman charged with trying to hire a hitman to kill her ex-husband was convicted Thursday morning and now faces up to 30 years in prison.

Rachael Natalie Leahy, 35, pleaded no contest to criminal solicitation to commit murder. A sentencing hearing has not yet been set.

Leahy has been under the care of a psychiatrist and psychologist since her September arrest, according to her defense attorney Peter Aken. Circuit Judge Deno Economou explained to Leahy that since she entered an open plea, not a negotiated plea, he could sentence her to the maximum penalty.

“I can sentence you to up to 30 years, do you understand that?” Economou said. “It’s up to me to decide.”

On Aug. 22, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office got a tip that Leahy was trying to have her ex-husband killed and began their investigation. Detectives used the informant to provide Leahy with a phone number to call for a hitman, who would actually be an undercover detective.

“She explained that she had been eagerly awaiting the situation,” Leahy told the detective when they spoke, said Assistant State Attorney Darlene Ragoonanan.

Leahy made arrangements to meet with the undercover detective on Aug. 29.

On Aug. 29, Leahy — who was driving a black BMW — met with the undercover detective in the 1200 block of 60th Avenue West in Bradenton. She told him how her ex-husband had kept her from her children and that she wanted custody so the only solution was for him to be gone completely.

Leahy gave the detectives potential scenarios such as a drowning or an accident.

“She stated that if it was a vehicle accident, there could be no guarantee that he died from that. The defendant described that she needs certainty and he must die,” Ragoonanan said.

She was asked about whether her ex-husband had a life insurance policy, and since she claimed to be the beneficiary she agreed to pay $5,000 to have him killed. Leahy proceeded to write down information about her ex-husband, including his address, work information, habits, his spouse’s information and the school their children attend, the report states.

The undercover detective told her just to let him know if she changed her mind or decided to use someone else for the hit, but Leahy said she had made up her mind already.

Leahy agreed to meet him on Sept. 1, and to bring photographs of her ex-husband, a copy of their divorce papers, details of his life insurance policy and a $1,000 cash deposit. Again, when told she could change her mind, Leahy insisted that she had not.

They met again on Sept. 8, the day of the arrest, and she paid the detective an additional $1,500. When he showed her a photo of her ex-husband and his home, she confirmed them right away. They discussed that she would leave the country the following day, and that the murder would happen while she was away.

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 2:52 PM with the headline "Woman who tried to hire hitman to kill her ex-husband faces up to 30 years in prison."