Woman Sentenced to Nearly 19 Years for Murder-for-Hire Plot

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Thursday sentenced a woman who secretly took out insurance on her fiancé before having him killed to 225 months in prison.

Victoria Rena Williams, 67, pleaded guilty in September to one count each of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, aiding and abetting murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Michael Grady, 70, was convicted by a jury on Monday of the same three counts.

Charles Harris III, who worked for an alarm company, was described in court as a churchgoing man who was about to open his own clothing store when he was killed.

According to Williams’ plea and the evidence and testimony at Grady’s trial, the conspiracy began in 2010. It was at that time that Grady suggested obtaining a $250,000 accidental death policy. Williams did so in 2010 without Harris’ knowledge and after confirming that it would pay out if he was killed during a robbery.

In October of 2011, she arranged a meeting between Harris, who sold suits out of his home on the side, and the shooters, who were posing as potential customers. She told jurors at Grady’s trial that she backed out twice, but Grady told her it could be “bad for you,” when she tried to back out again.

Harris was fatally shot in his home on Langford Drive on Oct. 5, 2011. After a dispute with the insurance company, Williams eventually received $224,444 and then obtained a cashier’s check for $110,000 payable to Grady’s wife. Williams also received $175,762 from another insurance policy.

The shooter or shooters, who were hired by Grady, have not been identified, according to trial testimony.

Grady is scheduled to be sentenced on June 4 and faces life in prison without parole. He is already serving a 226-month federal prison sentence for aiding a large-scale, violent drug conspiracy by trying to determine who was cooperating with investigators and prosecutors.

The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Finlen, Nino Przulj and Donald Boyce are prosecuting the case.