February 27, 2019 at 4:40 p.m.
Danielczak pleads no contest in attempted murder-for-hire case
Danielczak pleads no contest in attempted murder-for-hire case
According to the criminal complaint and court testimony, police became aware Megan M. Danielczak was looking for someone to kill her husband when a confidential informant (CI) brought the information to the attention of Rhinelander police and Oneida County sheriff's detective sergeant Chad Wanta.
"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."
On February 14, 2018, Danielczak met with an agent from the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation, who was posing as a hit man, at a location in Rhinelander. At this meeting, she turned over the list the CI requested as well as cash and rings as a down payment, with the rest to come after she collected her husband's life insurance, the complaint states. "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 reads. "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 complaint continues. "The Detectives initially told her that her husband was dead (he was safe) 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."
At Tuesday's hearing, assistant district attorney Mary Sowinski and defense attorney Jon Padgham advised Judge Patrick O'Melia that Danielczak had decided to enter a no contest plea pursuant to a plea agreement. After confirming that Danielczak was making the plea freely, O'Melia ordered a pre-sentence investigation be conducted and set the matter for sentencing May 2.
Danielczak faces more than 12 years in prison on the Class F felony.
Jamie Taylor may be reached via email at [email protected].
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