A Roy man facing trial for the murder of his wife in Clearfield two years ago has now been charged with conspiring to kill the prime witness against him.
Thomas Randolph Jr., 33, was charged Tuesday with conspiracy to commit murder, a first-degree felony, and was scheduled for arraignment Thursday in Clearfield 2nd Circuit Court.A similar charge was filed Jan. 9 against Wendy Moore, 29, Layton, after she gave an undercover police officer $2,000 in cash and the title to a vehicle signed over by Randolph.
The officer, testifying at a bail hearing for Randolph three days later, said the cash and car title were supposed to be payment for the murder of Eric Tarantino, a former Utahn now living in California and the key witness against Randolph.
Randolph goes to trial March 1 for the murder of his wife, Rebecca, in November 1986. She was found shot once in the head in the bedroom of their home in Clearfield.
Police and the state medical examiner initially considered the death a suicide, but further investigation led to the filing of the murder charge against Randolph, who is also charged with filing a false insurance claim in her death. That crime is a third-degree felony.
Tarantino testified at Randolph's preliminary hearing in Clearfield Circuit Court that he and Randolph plotted for six months to kill Rebecca so Randolph could collect her life insurance.
Tarantino, who testified he was badly beaten by Randolph when details of the murder plot leaked out, said Randolph was fascinated at the time by the movie "Scarface" and wanted to use the insurance money to set up a drug empire.
Tarantino is testifying under an immunity grant from prosecution but said at the hearing he had no intention of carrying out the killing and went along with the plot because he was afraid of Randolph.
Randolph has been held without bail in the Davis County Jail since his arrest because of what prosecutors say are threats against the witnesses in their case. Circuit and district court judges have refused to set bail for Randolph.
Moore is free on $20,000 bond and has a Feb. 1 preliminary hearing in Clearfield Circuit Court on the conspiracy to commit murder charge. Because the crime she is charged with conspiring to commit is a first-degree felony, the conspiracy charge is also a first-degree felony, carrying a prison term of five years to life.