CONTRA COSTA — Prosecutors have declined to charge a Bethel Island woman who was arrested last month on suspicion of hiring someone to murder her ex-wife.
The woman was arrested on Jan. 11 and held in jail for several days before the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges against her. The arrest by Contra Costa sheriff’s deputies was based on a report from another woman who told police she was offered $30,000 to kill the ex-wife and stage it as a random car crash.
Contra Costa-based defense attorney, Michael Markowitz, who is representing the Bethel Island woman in her divorce proceedings, said, “there was no credible evidence of any wrongdoing by my client whatsoever.”
“Law enforcement investigated the claim and found nothing to support the allegation,” Markowitz said in an email.
The woman and her ex-wife are going through a contentious divorce and both took out restraining orders against each other, court records show. The police tipster said she initially thought the $30,000 offer wasn’t serious, but later changed her mind and alerted authorities.
Source: www.mercurynews.com