A Missouri woman was sentenced to nearly two decades in federal prison after she pleaded guilty to a successful murder-for-hire plot that targeted her fiancé in 2011, prosecutors said.
More than 14 years ago, St. Louis County resident Victoria Rena Williams “secretly took out” an insurance policy on her fiancé, Charles Harris III, before he was shot to death at his home on October 5, 2011, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Williams, now 67, allegedly planned her fiancé’s killing with another man, Michael Grady, prosecutors said in a Thursday, March 5, news release.
Ahead of his death, Harris, who was described as a “churchgoing man,” was working for an alarm company and was getting ready to establish a clothing store, according to prosecutors. He also had been selling suits at his home as a side gig.
In 2010, Grady suggested that Williams obtain a $250,000 “accidental death policy” on Harris, prosecutors said.
“Williams did so in 2010 without Harris’ knowledge” and later confirmed “that it would pay out if he was killed during a robbery,” prosecutors said.
As part of the alleged murder plot, Williams coordinated a meeting in October 2011 between Harris and two potential customers for them to possibly buy clothing from Harris, according to prosecutors.
Then, on October 5, 2011, Harris was shot to death inside his house, prosecutors said.
He was killed by an unknown assailant, or assailants, who Grady allegedly hired, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Authorities have not identified Harris’ alleged killers to date.
Williams and Grady were both investigated by the FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department, according to prosecutors.
Following the killing, Williams received a $224,444 insurance payout, according to prosecutors, who said she was also paid $175,762 in connection with a different insurance policy.
She also got a cashier’s check, which she made payable to Grady’s wife for $110,000, prosecutors said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not specify how Williams and Grady knew each other.
In September, Williams pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, aiding and abetting murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to prosecutors.
On March 5, a federal judge sentenced Williams to 18 years and nine months in prison in connection with Harris’ death, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Williams’ defense attorney did not immediately return Us Weekly’s request for comment on Friday, March 6.
At her sentencing hearing, Williams cried and told Harris’ family that she was sorry, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
“Not a day has passed where I have not felt the weight of my actions,” Williams said, according to the newspaper.
On Monday, March 2, a jury found Grady, 70, guilty of the same charges Williams had pleaded guilty to, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Williams testified at Grady’s jury trial and maintained that after “she backed out twice” from the alleged murder plot, Grady told her doing so “could be ‘bad’” when “she tried to back out again, ” prosecutors said.
Prosecutor Ryan Finlen credited Williams for testifying against Grady in court and said that “without her assistance,” Grady “would’ve never been held accountable,” according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
In an emailed statement to Us on March 6, Grady’s defense attorney, Beau B. Brindley, accused Williams of lying at Grady’s trial.
“Michael Grady was innocent of the crime,” Brindley said.
He added that “the truth will come out as we continue to litigate this case.”
Grady is facing a life prison sentence without parole in Harris’ death, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. His sentencing is scheduled for June 4.
