Austrian Native Convicted Of Soliciting Fellow Inmate To Kill His Wife, Then Trying To Have That Man Killed As Well
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – In a plot worthy of a movie, a Philadelphia man has been convicted of assaulting his wife before soliciting a fellow inmate to kill her, then trying to solicit a second inmate to kill the intended hitman.
Officials say the defendant, 30-year-old Maikel Pouliczek, first met his wife in their native Austria before she came to the U.S. as a research scientist.
When Pouliczek joined her in America in 2008, he began to regularly beat her and demand that she marry him so he could obtain a Green Card. He threatened to kill the woman's 13-year-old daughter and have her mother and sister raped and killed in Austria if she didn't comply.
Fearing for her life and the lives of those close to her, the woman married Pouliczek, who continued to beat her and control her by screening her calls, checking her work email and driving her to and from work. Pouliczek would also reportedly call Austria and give directions to others to stalk the victim's sister and mother.
The allegations of abuse didn't come to light until Pouliczek was arrested and incarcerated for a separate incident when he threatened a contractor with a gun. At that time, the victim felt safe enough to report the crimes to police.
But the trouble didn't end there. While in custody for the assaults, Pouliczek solicited a fellow inmate to arrange for his contacts to kill his wife and their daughter in their Philadelphia home in exchange for $50,000. He went as far as to provide the inmate with a map outlining the best way to get into the home, descriptions of each victim and notes on which room they'd be sleeping in. Pouliczek was charged with solicitation to commit murder and witness intimidation.
After a preliminary hearing, Pouliczek then asked yet another inmate to kill the reporting inmate in prison. He gave that inmate a note outlining the plot to retaliate and kill the first inmate, which was fortunately discovered by prison officials during a search.
Pouliczek was then charged with a second count of solicitation of murder.
"This woman displayed enormous courage and perseverance to obtain justice and safety for herself and her daughter," said Assistant District Attorney Lindsay Kenney.
Pouliczek was convicted of 2 counts of Solicitation to Commit Murder, 2 counts of Intimidation of a Witness, 2 counts of Retaliation Against a Witness, Obstruction of Justice and related offenses. He is now facing up to 80 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for March 21, 2014.
