February 16, 2018 at 5:34 p.m.
Wife charged with plotting to kill husband
Police: Danielczak hoped to collect on life insurance policy
Wife charged with plotting to kill husband
According to the Rhinelander Police Department, Megan M. Danielczak was arrested Thursday after she met with an undercover agent from the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigations on Valentine's Day to discuss the murder of her husband.
Police say Danielczak made a payment to the agent, who was posing as a hitman, with the understanding that she would pay the remaining balance after her husband was killed.
According to the criminal complaint, police became aware of the alleged plot after a confidential informant (CI) advised that a Rhinelander woman was looking for someone to kill her husband.
"The CI indicated that Megan had talked to him about the potential homicide and provided the following detail: Megan was afraid she could not afford to live independently if she divorced her husband because he had a better job than she did and he would 'take everything away from her;' Megan had offered money but 'not a lot' because she didn't have a lot of money; and that Megan had mentioned running Nicholas' car off the road, forcing an accident," the complaint states. "The CI told Wanta and the Detectives that he had told Megan to put together a list of her husband's full identity and work schedule so that surveillance could be performed on her husband. The CI reported that Ms. Danielczak had agreed to complete such a list. The CI informed Wanta and the Detectives that he had told Ms. Danielczak that he would be in touch."
After receiving this information, investigators contact the Department of Criminal Investigation which provided an agent to pose as a hitman.
According to the complaint, Danielczak and the agent met at a location in the city of Rhinelander on Feb. 14 at which time Danielczak turned over the list the CI requested as well as cash and rings as a down payment.
"Megan indicated to (the agent) that she did not have a preference as to how her husband was killed, but preferred that it not be 'gory,'" the complaint states. "Following the meeting, on Feb. 14, 2018, Ms. Danielczak texted the CI, indicating that she wanted to make sure that her husband was not killed in the presence of her children. On Feb. 15, 2018, at around noon, the Detectives met Ms. Danielczak at her place of employment. The Detectives initially told her that her husband was dead and asked if she knew anyone that would want to harm him. She denied knowing anyone that would want to harm him. She was then arrested by Detectives. In an interview with Detectives after she was informed of her right to remain silent and her right to have an attorney present, Ms. Danielczak admitted that she had tried to hire someone to kill her husband."
In a brief press conference Friday morning, Rhinelander Police Chief Lloyd Gauthier and captain Ron Lueneburg indicated investigators believe the motive in this case was financial.
"Based on the totality of this investigation, investigators believe that a motivating factor in this case was financial gain," they said. "Investigators received information that Danielczak's husband has a life insurance policy through his place of employment in which Megan Danielczak is named a beneficiary. Investigators are following up on this information."
Gauthier and Lueneburg also stressed the informant came forward out of concern that Danielczak would eventually find someone to accomplish her goal.
"He came forward because he was concerned that if he didn't bring this forward, that she would probably find someone else who would probably go through with it, so he was concerned as a citizen," the chief said. "From that point, there were several conversations, with our detectives involved, between the citizen and Ms. Danielczak. There was a period of over a week-and-a-half of conversation before we made it a point of actually bringing in the DOJ agent."
In his 28 years in law enforcement, Gauthier said this is the first time he has worked on an alleged murder-for-hire case.
"We have had other cases involving domestic violence and things like this, but this is my first time seeing that in 28 years," he said, adding that wanted to make it clear that police believe Danielczak was serious about having her husband killed.
"There was a comment that was made to the special agent with the DOJ that she made in the vehicle," he said. "The special agent, at the conclusion, she made the comment 'there's no going back on what she wanted to happen to her husband.' To which Megan stated she was not going to go back against wanting her husband killed. That conversation occurred during the meeting with her and the alleged hitman. It's a very serious offense."
Gauthier said investigators are working with both families involved as the investigation continues.
"It's a complete shock to the community, a complete shock to the family," he said. "There were no signs of this taking place."
A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Feb. 23.
Danielczak faces more than 12 years in prison if convicted of the Class F felony.
Jamie Taylor may be reached via email at [email protected].
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