BY EILEEN PERSIKE
Editor

$15,000 cash bond was set by Oneida County Circuit Judge Patrick O’Melia for the Rhinelander woman charged with solicitation of first degree intentional homicide.

According to the criminal complaint, Megan M. Danielczak, 27, allegedly sought out and met with a person she believed would kill her husband. The person she met with, a confidential informant who had worked with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office in the past, forwarded information from his conversations with Danielczak to local law enforcement.

The informant indicated that Danielczak had talked to him about the potential homicide and reportedly said she was “afraid she could not afford to live independently if she divorced her husband because he had a better job than she did and he would ‘take everything away from her.’”

It is also alleged that Danielczak had offered money but “not a lot,” because she didn’t have a lot of money.

The Rhinelander Police Department contacted the Wisconsin Department of Justice, and a special agent assisted with the investigation. The complaint states that Danielczak met with the informant and the agent, who posed as a hit man, Feb. 14 in a Lincoln Street parking lot in Rhinelander. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss partial payment for the homicide with a person the informant had found to perform the homicide.

During the meeting, which detectives said was recorded by the undercover agent and the informant, Danielczak reportedly handed over an envelope with cash, plus cash and three rings from her pocket for the down payment. She indicated to them how and when she would pay the balance, which was to be about $4,500.

Danielczak reportedly told the men she “did not have a preference as to how her husband was killed, but preferred that it not be ‘gory,’” later indicating she didn’t want her husband killed in front of her children.

On Feb. 15, detectives met Danielczak at her place of employment in Tomahawk, and initially told her that her husband was dead and asked if she knew anyone that would want to harm him. Danielczak allegedly denied knowing anyone who would want to harm him, and was then arrested.

“In 28 years of law enforcement I have not directly worked a case like this,” Gauthier said. “We’ve had other cases involving domestic violence and things like this but this is the first time I have seen this in 28 years.”

The investigation is continuing, Gauthier said.

“As you can imagine this is very trying on the family, on both sides of the family, very emotional, and yes we are trying to work with the families and also continue our investigation,” said Gauthier. “It’s a complete shock to the community, a complete shock to the families, there were no signs of this taking place.”

Danielczak’s next court appearance is a preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 23. Solicitation to commit first degree intentional homicide is a class F felony, punishable by a maximum of 7 ½ years in prison, five years of extended supervision and a $25,000 fine.