Man accused of trying to hire someone to kill wife

Published 2:24 pm Wednesday, October 22, 2008

St. Tammany Parish authorities say they’ve arrested a man on accusations he tried to hire someone to kill his wife.

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. George Bonnett says 56-year-old Danny K. Willingham was booked with solicitation for murder.

Bonnett says Willingham approached a Pearlington, Miss., man more than once, each time offering him $10,000 to kill his wife. Bonnett says the man, who knew the couple through a bait shop they ran, refused.

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After the third attempt, the man told Willingham’s wife, who contacted authorities.

Bonnett says authorities are looking into the possibility that the solicitations were related to a pending divorce settlement.

Deputies arrested Willingham without incident on Oct. 14.