Co-Conspirator In Yorkville Murder-For-Hire Plot Pleads Guilty: Police

YORKVILLE, IL — A co-conspirator in a Yorkville man's murder-for-hire plot in April pleaded guilty, investigators said.

Lindsay Facer, of Oswego, was convicted of misdemeanor criminal trespass to a residence and attempted solicitation of murder for hire, a felony.

Yorkville police said Facer's charges stemmed from her "active involvement in the ongoing investigation" that began in April after detectives learned Mark A. Hellenthal, now 53, arranged with someone to have his former wife killed, Patch reported.

Facer was not hired, police spokesperson Garrett Carlyle told Patch, but had an existing relationship with Hellenthal and "chose to take an active role in the plot" as a result.

"She was not paid by the accused for her part in the incident," Carlyle said.

Hellenthal, of the 2000 block of Village View Drive in Yorkville, was arrested on April 10 and charged with solicitation of murder and solicitation of murder for hire. With authorization to record communications with Hellenthal, an undercover Yorkville police officer posed as a hitman on that Thursday and spoke to Hellenthal, who provided details on how to access his ex-wife's residence and offered U.S. currency and jewelry as payment for the murder.

Officers then found Hellenthal at his workplace and took him into custody. Officers located the victim and arranged for her safety after investigators said her ex-husband provided the person he had hired with her address and instructions on how to enter her home.

RELATED: Man Hired Hitman To Kill Ex-Wife In Exchange For Cash, Jewelry: Police

Yokville police did not specify Facer's involvement with the plot, but Carlyle said, "The charges on which Facer was convicted were a reflection of her cooperation with investigators as an active participant of the Mark Hellenthal investigation."

Facer was convicted on July 29 and turned herself in to the Kendall County jail on Aug. 19.

The Oswego woman was sentenced to one year of periodic imprisonment and work release while on electronic monitoring and 48 months of probation. She was also ordered to pay $12,858 in fines, according to court records.

"Yorkville Police are grateful for our partnering law enforcement agencies who assisted us in a peaceful resolution to a complex investigation in which our victim was able to go home safely," the department said in a statement.

Hellenthal remains in custody at the Kendall County jail, with his next court date scheduled for Aug. 22. No timeline has been set for his trial as it remains in pre-trial discovery, Carlyle said.

A GoFundMe campaign was launched in April for Hellenthal's ex-wife and her children. "This will provide some financial support to be used for counseling services, cost of lawyers, food, gas, bills, etc. Navigating this trauma is unimaginable, but also their main financial support has been terminated as well as shaken their personal sense of security," the campaign notes.