A former pastor in Missouri was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the attempted murder of his wife, intentionally burning their house and financial exploitation of an elderly.
Donald Lafferty, 71, was convicted last January of hiring his mistress, Brandi Hicks, and her husband, Christopher, to set their house on fire and kill his wife, Mildred Lafferty, in January 2013. The judge also sentenced him for defrauding his mother of $86,000, the Southeast Missourian reported.
Lafferty got 50 years of imprisonment in total—15 years for attempted murder, 15 years for arson and 20 years for financially exploiting his mother.
He promised the Hickses that he would pay them $15,000 for burning his house plus $5,000 if his wife died in the fire.
"I think that for all the things that the defendant did, it [the sentence] is very appropriate," said Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russell Oliver.
However, Lafferty maintained his innocence.
"There were some negotiations by the prosecutor's office as to whether Don Lafferty would be interested in testifying in Chris Hicks' upcoming trial. My client is not interested in doing that because his position has been, and he has always maintained, that he is completely innocent in this," said his lawyer Daniel Moore.
Oliver disagreed, saying, "There was a mountain of evidence in this case."
The judge allowed Lafferty to post $250,000 cash bond as he appeals his case but is prohibited from contacting the victims. He must also surrender his passport and travel documents.
Court documents showed Mildred Lafferty woke on the night of Jan. 12, 2013 to discover that their house was on fire. Investigators determined that it was caused by arson, set by gasoline and butane lighter.
She told investigators that before the fire, she woke up to find her husband moving a computer and cedar chest out of the house.
Authorities later discovered that Brandi Hicks and Donald Lafferty had a relationship.
After the incident, Lafferty fled to Vermont and Massachusetts before he was arrested in May 2014 in North Andover, Massachusetts.
