SANTA ANA : Woman Sentenced for Plotting Murder

A former Tustin woman who was convicted of hiring four men to kill her husband in a scheme to collect $300,000 in life insurance was sentenced Monday to 10 1/2 years in prison.

Margo J. Thibault-Lemke, 42, was convicted July 25 by a federal jury of murder-for-hire, wire fraud and conspiracy in connection with four unsuccessful assassination attempts on her husband, Richard Thibault.

In an unusual move, U.S. District Judge Alicemarie H. Stotler departed from federally set sentencing guidelines of 97 to 121 months and gave Thibault-Lemke a harsher sentence. Stotler said she was imposing the longer sentence because Thibault-Lemke supplied one of the would-be killers with a weapon to kill her husband.

The judge added that the defendant was obviously the “originator or leader” of the murder scheme and that she was “clearly untruthful” on the witness stand.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Elana S. Artson praised the judge’s sentence, saying that “justice was done. We’re pleased she was given a substantial term of incarceration.”

Defense attorney H. Dean Stewart said he will appeal the conviction and the sentence. Thibault-Lemke showed no emotion as Stotler pronounced the sentence.

Throughout the trial, the jury heard often bizarre evidence about bungled murder schemes, with incriminating testimony from the four would-be killers, including the defendant’s half-brother and a transsexual.

The four men, who said they were going to be paid $10,000 for killing Richard Thibault, eventually lost their nerve and Thibault was never harmed. The four were granted immunity in exchange for their testimony against the defendant.

Prosecutors contended that in late 1987 and early 1988, Thibault-Lemke conspired with her then-boyfriend, William Lemke, to kill Thibault for $300,000 in life insurance money. Thibault-Lemke had signed her husband’s name to the policies, identifying herself as the beneficiary.

Thibault-Lemke later divorced her husband and married Lemke, who was also convicted in connection with the murder-for-hire scheme. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 18.

In her defense, Thibault-Lemke said she was being manipulated by one of the would-be killers, who she said wanted to murder her husband in exchange for money to complete a sex-change operation.

During tearful testimony, Thibault-Lemke said that she only pretended to go along with the plan in an attempt to stall David Lamb, whom she knew as “Jan.”

Lamb, 35, of Denver, went to authorities in early 1988 and told them that he was one of four hired by Thibault-Lemke. He later agreed to telephone Thibault-Lemke and talk to her about the scheme so authorities could record the conversation as evidence.

During the conversation, which was played for the jury, Thibault-Lemke discussed buying a lethal poison and asking how to use it to kill someone. After Thibault-Lemke was told how to use the poison, she said: “I hope this works.”