Woman Stands Trial In Murder-For-Insurance Plot

A Washington State woman is facing trial for trying to hire a former classmate to kill her husband for an insurance payout.

Martie Soderberg, of Spokane Valley, Wash., has been charged with first-degree solicitation to commit murder, according to a report by local news channel KXLY.

Prosecutors said Soderberg told a friend that she was unhappy in her 15-year marriage. She allegedly said she wanted her husband dead, but also wanted a payout on his $300,000 life insurance policy.

Soderberg’s friend reported the conversation to the police, according to KXLY. The friend agreed to wear a wire during future conversations, and Soderberg was promptly arrested after allegedly giving the friend money to buy a gun.

Soderberg faces a minimum of 15 years in prison if convicted of the charge – but she’s also facing a number of other charges unrelated to the alleged murder-for-hire plot, including welfare fraud, insurance fraud and arson.

Police say that in 2013, Soderberg hired another friend to burn down her trailer in order to collect $75,000 in insurance money, KXLY reported. Soderberg will be tried on those charges in May.