Former Tennessee lawyer Fred Wortman faces charges for the attempted murder of his wife earlier this year. Wortman, a 39-year-old father of three, was arrested after a citizen revealed his plot to police, according to Nashville Times.
Initial reports suggested Wortman attempted to poison his wife, Staci Wortman, with laced toothpaste, an act which resulted in one of his children becoming ill, as Above The Law noted.
Both Fred Wortman's wife and child survived the poisoning attempt.
Investigators soon learned that Fred Wortman tried to hire hitmen. Fred Wortman first tried to coax an inmate into the job, then turned to undercover agents investigating him, according to WREG.
Tuesday, Fred Wortman spoke to his wife in court. He apologized for trying to kill her, stating: "I do apologize to [my wife] Staci, the Jones, my parents, my family, most of all I apologize to my three precious children[...]No apology which I offer will be sufficient to all who I have disappointed, let down and hurt."
Struggling to speak through tears, Staci Wortman read a letter before the court, "I still struggle, but my children are the greatest victims. They know he's in jail. They know he wanted me not to be alive anymore. They know he has to face the consequences."
Fred Wortman received thirty years in prison. He will be eligible for parole after nine years, according to the New York Post.
