Murder-for-hire plot defendant released
A Ponca City woman accused of trying to hire a “hit man” to poison her ex-husband in Israel with ricin was released Tuesday from federal detention.
Danielle Dana Layman will remain on house arrest pending trial, an Oklahoma City federal judge ordered.
She will be allowed to drive her children to and from school, visit her attorney’s office and travel to her OB-GYN in Kansas. She is 15 weeks pregnant, according to prosecutors.
Layman, 37, was arrested June 30 after FBI agents learned of the alleged “murder-forhire plot,” investigators reported. During asearch of her home, agents found several dozen castor beans in the kitchen, a mortar and pestle and instructions on how to make ricin, an FBI task force officer reported in a court affidavit.
Layman was charged July 1 with using the internet to solicit murder. Prosecutors allege she posted an ad on Craigslist for a 10-day acting gig overseas.
A woman who responded to the ad contacted the FBI after meeting with Layman in May and finding out the gig was actually a paid “mission” to poison a taxi driver in Israel, according to the affidavit. The taxi driver was identified as Layman’s ex-husband, Shahar Abecassis, prosecutors reported.
Layman, who was born in Israel, and her exhusband have been in a dispute related to visitation rights with their daughter.
Layman appeared in court Tuesday in an orange jail uniform. She smiled at family members seated in the courtroom and formed a heart shape with her hands following the hearing. Her current husband attended the hearing.
Layman was released on a $50,000 unsecured bond, meaning she didn’t have to post any money. If she fails to follow the conditions of her release, she must pay that amount, according to her attorney.
Layman is not allowed to contact her ex-husband or any witnesses in the case.
She also must undergo a mental health screening and have all electronic devices connected to the internet be monitored.
Prosecutors told U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles B. Goodwin that Layman’s conduct was “extraordinarily dangerous.” But they agreed to her release as long as “extremely restrictive conditions” were in place.
Prosecutors also noted that Layman has no criminal history. If convicted, she could spend 10 years in prison and be fined $250,000.
Layman waived her preliminary hearing Tuesday, moving the case forward. Afterward, defense attorney Michael Johnson told reporters, “We’re putting up a great defense.”
Prosecutors alleged Layman offered $4,000 plus expenses for poisoning her ex-husband. Ricin is an extremely hazardous toxin with no known antidote.