Louisiana Man Hires 2 Men to Kidnap Wife But They Drowned Instead

Two kidnappers dressed much like an electronics store's blue uniforms appeared at a woman's door. They had a carpet steamer with them and requested Shanda Handley if one of them could demonstrate how it works.

Handley refused and said one of the men invaded her house with a gun, put handcuffs on her and her neighbor's hands, and put a hood on her head. The kidnappers coerced Handley into the van and drove away. They left behind her 14-year-old daughter and neighbor.

Behind the Kidnapping Plot

A Louisiana millionaire has pleaded guilty to arraignments of kidnapping. This was following officials indicating he plotted his alienated former wife's kidnapping. The scheme was not effective as the two kidnappers drowned near Baton Rouge when attempting to flee from police officials. On Monday, Lawrence Michael Handley pleaded guilty to one count of attempted second-degree kidnapping and two counts of second-degree kidnapping.

According to Lawrence, he orchestrated the plot to move his former wife from his house in Lafayette, LA, to his camp near Woodville, Miss. Officials said what he planned to do following the abduction that was not made clear.

In 2017, the 53-year-old became addicted to cocaine and methamphetamine. That was when he hired Arsenio Haynes and Sylvester Bracey, both 27, to kidnap his estranged wife as the couple were involved in a toxic divorce. Lawrence had reportedly purchased the items required to kidnap, restrain, and torture his former wife and rented a van, reported Crime Online.

When the Plot Went Awry

According to prosecutors, as the kidnappers drove east on the 10th Interstate on August 6, 2017, deputies of a sheriff noticed the van was veering; they attempted to stop it. The kidnappers drove off the interstate, headed for a dead-end gravel road. They were then seized by police officials. The men attempted to evade the cops by swimming through a canal. They eventually drowned, reported Boing Boing.

Lawrence was reportedly a recovering alcoholic. In 2015, he sold his healthcare firm for $21million. This was two years prior to his filling of divorce from his wife, Shanda. Both parties claimed that the other attempted to have them murdered, reported Daily Mail.

The mastermind was imposed 15 to 35 years in prison. A judgment date has yet to be scheduled.

The couple tied the knot in 2016. However, in the following year, their relationship became contentious when multiple restraining orders were filed.

When Lawrence filed for divorce, he claimed that Shanda threatened or attacked him many times. He also alleged that she hired a hitman to kill him. Shanda claimed that Lawrence attempted to access her email, track her phone, and download a spyware on her computer.

Lawrence evaded a severe charge of kidnapping, which imposes a mandatory lifetime sentence in prison under a plea deal. Shanda remarked it was unfavorable that her former husband would not be imposed lifetime detainment.