IOWA CITY (AP) — A mother convicted of a high-profile Iowa murder wrote to a Wisconsin child sex offender in an attempt to find a witness to bolster her legal defense, but the letter was alarming because it included a photograph of children and personal information about her ex-husband, a prosecutor said Wednesday.
The prosecutor who convicted Tracey Richter said he was concerned enough that he alerted an attorney for the ex-husband, Michael Roberts, who is locked in a custody dispute over whether he can move with their two children to his native Australia. The letter included information that could be used to find Roberts, such as his Social Security number, date of birth and physical description.
“She’s dangerous and everybody keeps underestimating her,” Sac County Attorney Ben Smith said. “I feared for Michael and his kids.”
Richter was convicted of first-degree murder in November for fatally shooting her neighbor, 20-year-old Dustin Wehde, at her home in Early, Iowa, in 2001. Richter claimed self-defense, saying Wehde and another man broke into her home while she watched her children. Prosecutors argued that Richter tricked Wehde into coming over, shot him and planted a notebook in his car to implicate him and her first husband in a murder-for-hire scheme.
Richter’s attorney didn’t return a message seeking comment.
Days before she was sentenced to life in prison, Richter sent the letter and photo to Wisconsin prison inmate James Landa, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl. Landa had written to Richter after her trial, saying he supported her and had been following the case because a fellow inmate who hails from Iowa subscribed to a local newspaper.
In her response, Richter repeatedly asked Landa if his friend had personal knowledge of the crime. She said she included the photo of other children because it might cheer him up, and asked: “Kids are cute, huh?”
The letters have become public as Roberts seeks permanent custody of their two children, who are 12 and 13, and permission to leave the country. Richter and her relatives oppose the request. A trial is scheduled for next month.