Woman Hires Hitman To Kill Ex-Husband's Wife: Mercer County Prosecutor

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — A Pennsylvania woman was charged after police say she tried to hire a hitman to murder her ex-husband's current wife and the wife's 13-year-old daughter as well, Mercer County Prosecutor AngeloJ. Onofri reported.

Marilyn Zhou, 56, of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, is charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder and one count of third-degree money laundering.

Earlier this month, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Special Investigations Unit(SIU) got some information that Zhou was looking for help with a murder for hire.

On Sunday morning, Dec. 18, Zhou met with an undercover officer in Trenton, where she told the officer she wanted them to murder her ex-husband's new wife, said Onofri.

Zhou gave the officer two color photographs of the victim, $21,000 in cash, rubber nitrile gloves, and a towel to carry out the murder. She also told the undercover officer that if the victim's 13-year-old daughter was present at the time of the murder, she should also be murdered, according to authorities.

Zhou said she would pay the undercover officer an additional $20,000 once the murder was complete, said Onofri.

Moments after the meeting, Zhou was taken into custody. Later that night, members of the SIU helped the Pennsylvania State Police search Zhou’s home in Chadds Ford. Detectives found $18,000 and items she told the undercover officer to use during the murder.

The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to detain her pending trial.