Mar 23, 2016

Pastor Lafferty Jailed For 50 Years After Hiring His Mistress To Burn His Wife Alive

Theoswatch
March 21st 2016
In a true whodunit case, a Missouri Baptist pastor was handed a 50 year prison sentence after enlisting his mistress and her spouse to burn his house to the ground, along with his wife.
The Riverfront Times reports that Donald Lafferty, aged 71, was found guilty of attempted murder, arson, armed criminal action and financial exploitation of the elderly, after investigators stumbled upon evidence that the clergyman had misappropriated $87,000 from his 89 – year – old mother.
Since January 12, 2013 the case of the fire that swept through the Lafferty household had been relegated to a cold case, though there had been evidence of arson. Following new proof showing that Lafferty had faked power – of – attorney documentation and thereafter move his mother’s savings into an account under his control, the case was reopened.
It was the state’s case that Lafferty had been having an affair with Brandy Lee Hicks, a 33 year old member of the Beech Grove Church. Hicks was and her husband Christopher both went to the church. It turned out Brandy’s bills were being taken care of by Lafferty and she had also received two vehicles in the course of their affair. He then propositioned the couple $15,000 to set fire to his house and an additional $5,000 if his wife, Mildred, was killed in the process.
On the fateful day, Mildred was treated to a hearty breakfast though the coffee tasted terrible. Later feeling light – headed, she took a nap on the couch. After a while, she awoke to find her husband moving some furniture around, claiming that he could not stand, ‘’stumping his toe on it’’ anymore. It later came to light that Lafferty had in fact hired a storage room to put all the important bric – a – brac in.
As the net closed in, Brandy confessed to everything, describing how her husband had dowsed the house in gasoline and then started the fire. ‘’Chris poured the gas around the couch, and poured some on Mildred.’’ She went on, ‘’I stood behind him and watched when he lit the fire. Then we turned around and walked out. ‘’
Upon delivering the verdict, the Scott County judge gave Lafferty a $250,000 bail option.  On the other hand, Brandy Lee and her husband were both convicted of attempted murder and first – degree arson.
http://theoswatch.com/pastor-lafferty-jailed-for-50-years-after-hiring-his-mistress-to-burn-his-wife-alive/

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