Man gets eight years for murder plot
A year has passed since law-enforcement officers visited Kathleen Ludwick’s West Jefferson home to tell her that her husband of 19 years was trying to hire a hit man to kill her.
On Wednesday, she stood in a Franklin County courtroom and described how she quickly packed a bag and followed their instructions to find a safe place to stay and alter her routine.
“My life was turned upside down and forever changed,” she said. “The man I had trusted with my life was trying to take it away.”
A jury last month convicted Lowell Wayne Ludwick, 51, of conspiracy to commit murder, based largely on audio from a hidden camera that recorded an incriminating conversation he had with an acquaintance-turned-informant.
His wife, who has since filed for divorce, encouraged Common Pleas Judge Colleen O’Donnell to impose the maximum sentence of 11 years in prison for the offense.
O’Donnell sentenced him to eight years, noting that Mr. Ludwick had no prior convictions and served with distinction for 10 years in the U.S. Navy.
But the judge expressed dismay that he blamed his actions on a severe gambling addiction, never got treatment for the problem and didn’t seek a divorce if he wanted out of the marriage.
“Your words and your actions were callous, they were alarming and I believe they were driven by greed,” O’Donnell told him.
Ludwick explained why a divorce wasn’t an option during his recorded conversation with the informant. “I end up with half,” he said. “Who the (expletive) wants half?”
His wife, a 22-year employee of American Electric Power, was the primary breadwinner for the couple and frequently used her employee bonuses to cover her husband’s debts. She testified at trial that he was the sole beneficiary of her retirement savings account, her life insurance and their home, worth close to $500,000.
Ludwick cried as he read a statement before sentencing, his voice shaking so much that at times his words were difficult to understand.
“I take full responsibility for my actions and don’t cast blame anywhere but myself,” he said. He repeated the defense that he relied on during the trial, saying the idea of hiring a hit man was “only a discussion and nothing took place.”
In March 2016, Ludwick told an acquaintance that he wanted “to get rid of” his wife. The acquaintance said he could find someone to help, but instead went to Columbus police. In the recorded conversation two days later, Ludwick said he would pay someone to kill her and make it look like a burglary that turned deadly.
The conversation centered heavily on Ludwick’s concerns about whether he could come up with a $5,000 down payment for a hit man dubbed “Crazy Joe.” Defense attorney Dan Sabol had argued that no deal was ever struck because the payment issue wasn’t resolved.
Assistant Prosecutor James Lowe dismissed that suggestion, saying Ludwick went far beyond just “mulling over” the idea.
Ludwick deserved the maximum sentence, Lowe said, although he wondered why the state legislature decided 11 years was enough for conspiring to commit murder.
“I don’t understand why it’s so low,” he said.