Woman indicted for attempting to send ex-husband fentanyl-laced chocolates
A woman in Texas is behind bars after allegedly attempting to send her ex-husband fentanyl-laced chocolates, according to the Parker County Sheriff's Office.
Pamela Jean Stanley, 63, from Coleman, Texas, was indicted last week after being arrested in May for "developing a plan to murder her ex-husband," in which she specifically wanted to purchase powdered fentanyl and inject it into a high-end box of chocolates, the sheriff's office said in a statement on Friday.
According to officials, Stanley told an acquaintance -- in conversation she didn't know was being recorded -- that she planned on mailing the laced chocolates to her ex-husband, making it appear like the package was from a travel agency as a "congratulatory gift for his recent engagement with a 'honeymoon' incentive offer."
Through an undercover ruse in the parking lot of a local motel on May 30, an investigator "solicited the purchase" of what Stanley believed was fentanyl, with officials "immediately" taking her into custody, the sheriff's office said.
At the time of her arrest, Stanley was also in possession of a substance "tested as containing 9.5 grams of methamphetamine," according to authorities.
Stanley was indicted on Friday for criminal solicitation with intent to commit murder, criminal attempt to commit murder and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, officials said.
Her ex-husband, Jeff Kauth, told ABC News Dallas station WFAA that this was not the first time he had concerns about his ex-wife's alleged threats, with Kauth previously talking to investigators about rumors of Stanley hiring a hitman.
"It didn't really surprise me because she's kind of that way," Kauth told WFAA. "Her plan was pretty ingenious. She thought this stuff through."
The two were married for 14 years before they divorced in 2019, Kauth told WFAA. For his safety amid his ex-wife's alleged threats, Kauth said he installed security cameras around his house and even placed a "dummy" he built wearing his hat and jacket in the kitchen as a decoy in case she tried to shoot toward him.
"I was hoping she would move on or find happiness, I was hoping she'd hope the same for me, but it just didn't work out that way," Kauth told WFAA.
Kauth said if Stanley had been successful in her alleged plan, he "probably would've eaten" the laced chocolates and said he is "relieved" she was caught by officials.
"I'll never look at a box of chocolates the same," Kauth told WFAA.
Stanley remains in custody, with a bond set to $450,000, the sheriff's office said.
She was previously arrested in 2019 for deadly discharge of a firearm, according to jail records.
Court records indicate that she is scheduled to appear for a pre-trial hearing on Aug. 12, with her jury trial beginning on Oct. 20.
The attorney representing Stanley did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.
