Pasco woman suspected in murder plot against husband

A Pasco woman allegedly was making plans to change her identity and leave town as she conspired to kill her husband by drugging him and throwing him down stairs.

Michelle Murdock, 38, hasn't yet been charged in what Franklin County officials are calling a bizarre case that sounds more like a Lifetime movie.

However a three-page affidavit, along with a copy of Murdock's alleged "to do" list, gave Judge Robert Swisher enough probable cause to order the mother of two held on $1 million bail.

Murdock is in the Franklin County jail on suspicion of first-degree criminal conspiracy to commit murder. She had a preliminary court appearance Mondaybefore Swisher.

Prosecutors have until this afternoon to charge Murdock or release her from jail.

Kennewick lawyer Shelley Ajax has been appointed to represent Murdock. Ajax said Tuesday that she had been given the complaint by prosecutors, but could not comment on the allegations because she had not yet received police reports in the case.

Murdock has been in custody since Friday night, about six hours after her husband went to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office with claims that his wife of a few years was plotting to inject him with a tranquilizer.

John David Murdock, 62, met with a sheriff's supervisor at about 3 p.m. and said "he believed his wife was planning to kill him or cause harm to him," said Sheriff Richard Lathim.

That patrol supervisor, a deputy and two detectives spent the rest of the day gathering information and searching the family's home to corroborate the claims, Lathim said. The officers then "felt it was not only credible, but urgent to arrest her," he said.

Michelle Murdock was arrested about 9 p.m. without any problems, Lathim said. "I can't remember us ever having anything quite like this before," he said.

Court documents show that John Murdock goes by his middle name.

Dave Murdock told authorities that he only learned of the plan after his wife told their live-in nanny and asked the woman for help, according to court documents. The nanny, Shalena Kae Millward, then told Dave Murdock "to be careful" on Friday because she believed Michelle Murdock was going to try to kill him that night in their Red Roan Court home, documents said.

The home is in west Pasco but falls within Franklin County's jurisdiction.

Sheriff's Detective Lee Barrow wrote in court documents that Michelle Murdock planned to put sleeping pills, such as Temazepam, into her husband's food. Then once Dave Murdock was out, his wife was going to inject a drug known as suxamethonium chloride between his toes to relax his muscles and cause short-term paralysis, documents said.

Michelle Murdock allegedly was then going to throw her husband "down some stairs or a balcony." She had told the nanny on Friday that she wanted to go forward with the plan "because she was angry with him and wanted to get it over with," Barrow wrote.

The Murdocks reportedly met back east and only moved to the Tri-Cities in recent years. They are the parents of a 4-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy, according to court orders for Michelle Murdock to have no contact with her husband or children while the case is pending.

She also was ordered to stay away from Millward.

The 38-year-old Kennewick woman started working for the Murdocks three months ago. Millward gave a separate statement to police which allegedly confirmed the husband's story in detail. She told deputies she was willing to cooperate in the investigation.

Millward reported to police that after being on the job only a week, Michelle Murdock told the nanny she wanted to kill her husband and asked for help, court documents showed.

Millward also had applied at the time for a job with a local hospital and recently was hired. Murdock asked Millward if she had "access to sedative chemicals" at the hospital and could get some to be used on Dave Murdock, documents said.

Millward reportedly told Dave Murdock that his wife had researched the sedative to learn how to use it. Dave Murdock also told sheriff's deputies that he had seen syringes inside his refrigerator and "penicillin or similar chemical container, which Michelle had purchased very recently to kill him."

Michelle Murdock allegedly repeated her request of Millward for the paralytic drug on Friday morning, and sent Millward text messages making sure she jad obtained the chemical. The nanny also reported that while she worked in the Murdock home, her prescription Temazepam kept disappearing.

Investigators got a search warrant at 7 p.m. Friday for the Murdock home, along with a court-ordered authorization to record conversations between Millward and Michelle Murdock.

In the sting coordinated by the sheriff's office and the Tri-Cities Metro Drug Task Force, Millward was recorded giving a bottle labeled suxamethonium chloride, which was wrapped inside tissue paper, to Michelle Murdock inside the family home, Barrow wrote in court documents. Millward had been handed the bottle just prior to the exchange.

"Millward can be heard telling Murdock what the item was and indicated that Murdock should be very careful with it because it was very dangerous," Barrow wrote. "She can also be heard telling Michelle that she was extremely nervous."

Barrow added that investigators saw Michelle Murdock accept the container and hold it "while telling Millward they would discuss a plan to use it at a later time."

Murdock was arrested a short time later.

During a search of the home once Murdock was in police custody, investigators were unable to find the bottle that had been given to her. They did find the syringes inside a refrigerator and took two computers from the home, documents said.

Investigators also seized a handwritten note they believe was Murdock's to-do list.

The list includes changing address bank information, copying "all docs," setting up a Skype account for free internet calls, getting a new e-mail address and organizing things. There are also notes to "start moving things, packing ... (and) start mailing things to Tinas," along with mention to get an iPhone and iPad under someone else's name and arrange a Mexico trip with a special Washington license and a passport.

If Murdock is charged, she will return to court next Tuesday.

-- Kristin M. Kraemer: 582-1531; kkraemer@tricityherald.com