Ferndale Woman Charged in Murder-for-Hire Plot

A Ferndale woman, along with three others, was charged Wednesday in 37th District Court with allegedly attempting to carry out a murder-for-hire plot on an Armada Township woman.

All four, if convicted, could face life in prison.

According to statements made to an undercover Macomb County officer, Mallorie Louise Wilson-Strat, 24, of Ferndale, the girlfriend of the victim's husband, tried to have the Armada woman killed not once, but twice, Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham confirmed Wednesday. 

Wilson-Strat is suspected of hiring Detroit resident David Aaron Clark, 30, for $1,100 to kill the victim, who was the wife of Wilson-Strat's boyfriend. According to a  sheriff's department statement, Wilson-Strat drove Clark to the victim's house. He then allegedly broke in while she was asleep with her three children, stole the victim's purse and left, the statement said.

The Macomb County Sheriff's Department got involved on April 5 when an undercover detective from the County of Macomb's Enforcement Team (COMET) began communication with Wilson-Strat after a Murder for Hire report was taken by the Armada Police Department and turned over to the task force.

Wilson-Strat met with the detective on April 7 and discussed a plan to murder the victim, according to the sheriff's department statement. The detective was to receive $500 up front and $7,500 after the job was done, the sheriff's department said.

According to the detective, Wilson-Strat requested that the detective meet the boyfriend's sister to make sure they weren't going to be ripped off.

The detective met with Christina Sears, 25, of Ray Township, and her boyfriend Bashar Mansour, 22, of Warren, on April 8. The sheriff's department said that Sears discussed the plan to murder her sister-in-law. Mansour discussed surveillance he had performed on the victim.

On April 11, Wilson-Strat and Sears met again with the undercover detective in Warren to present the downpayment, the sheriff's department confirmed. After the $500 was handed over to the detective, officers from COMET and members of the Macomb County Sheriff's Office Special Enforcement Team arrested the women.

Shortly after, Mansour and Clark were arrested.

The husband of the victim was also arrested but was released pending further investigation, Wickersham said.

Both women were charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and solicitation of murder. Each of their bonds was set at $250,000 cash or surety bond.

Mansour and Clark also were charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and their bonds were set at $1 million and $500,000, respectively.

Wickersham said none of the suspects has posted bond.

A preliminary hearing has been set for April 21.