Soldier Sentenced for Murder Hire Plot

Staff and Wire Reports

MUSKOGEE, Oklahoma -- A soldier has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for plotting to kill his wife last year while he was stationed in South Korea.

Prosecutors said Michael Andrew Crawford of Ada apologized for his actions Friday when he appeared before a federal judge in Muskogee to learn his punishment.

Crawford, 26, sought leniency from U.S. District Judge James H. Payne, arguing that former mistress Tonia Mullins was the one who hatched the plot to kill his wife.

But prosecutors said Crawford had more to gain in the plot than anyone else -- a $250,000 life insurance policy.

Mullins enlisted the aid of friend Regina Hercules, who is Crawford's aunt. Mullins was sentenced last month to six years in prison. Hercules, 43, was sentenced to four years.

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