Inmate Offered $10K, Hawks Tickets To Have Ex-Wife Killed: Feds

CARTERSVILLE, GA — A man in custody at the Bartow County Jail has been arraigned on charges he used the U.S. Postal Service and telephone communications in an attempt to hire someone to kill his ex-wife, the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia said.

Michael Lawrence Dane McEarchern, 29, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Jan. 3 in connection to charges, and was arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Water E. Johnson.

“This defendant’s alleged actions indicate that he was serious about having his ex-wife murdered,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “By providing an address and up-front money for the would-be assassin, McEarchern left little doubt that if the threat had not been discovered he may have found someone to carry out the heinous deed.”

Federal prosecutors note McEarchern was arrested and charged with various drug offenses in October 2017 and booked into the Bartow County Jail. While at the facility, he allegedly "reached out to several individuals trying to find someone who could arrange for the murder of his ex-wife, who lived in Cobb County," prosecutors charge.

One person told a friend of the defendant about his "desire" to kill his ex-wife, and that person reported the allegations to the FBI.

"To ensure that McEarchern was serious about seeking someone to carry out the murder, the FBI waited for McEarchern to reach out to the informant, which he did," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Prosecutors said McEarchern agreed to pay $10,000 in cash and provide two tickets to an Atlanta Hawks game as payment for the would-be murder. He also had $800 in cash mailed to the would-be assassin to show his intent to get his ex-wife killed, prosecutors note.

Bartow County Jail recordings captured the defendant providing the address to the person who he asked to mail the cash for him. The FBI got an envelope containing the money with the return address of the person who mailed the cash on behalf of McEarchern. The defendant also provided an address where the assassin could find his ex-wife, according to prosecutors.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with help from the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim S. Dammers is prosecuting the case.

Image via Bartow County Sheriff's Office