A Massachusetts woman who participated in a murder-for-hire plot to kill a woman who had accused her husband of rape has been sentenced to five years of probation.
The Daily Hampshire Gazette reports that 50-year-old Cynthia Coons, of Holyoke, was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to first-degree conspiracy. The plot was never carried out.
Prosecutors say Coons' husband was in jail on the rape charge when he talked to another inmate about having the victim killed. That inmate told authorities.
Investigators recorded several jailhouse conversations between Coons and her husband in which they discussed the plan.
Her husband previously pleaded guilty to rape and was sentenced to up to 17 years in prison.
Coons' lawyer says her client was diagnosed with a mental health disorder and was manipulated by her husband.
