Fifth Person Arrested in Macomb County Murder-for-Hire Plot

Macomb County Sheriff's Department has arrested a fifth person in the alleged murder-for-hire plot in which a 24-year-old Ferndale woman is accused of targeting her married boyfriend's wife. 

Ferndale resident Mallorie Louise Wilson-Strat and three others were charged in the alleged plot Wednesday in 37th District Court. All four, if convicted, could face life in prison.

The fifth suspect was arrested Friday. Jorden Anthony Powell, 21, of Detroit, is suspected of being present with David Aaron Clark, 30, of Detroit, when Clark allegedly broke into the targeted Armada Township woman's home with the intent to kill her, the Macomb County Sheriff's Department said. Wilson-Strat is suspected of hiring Clark to kill the woman, who is married to Wilson-Strat's boyfriend, police said.

Powell was arraigned Friday in 42nd District Court in Romeo on first-degree home invasion. Powell was to be arraigned today in 37th District Court in Centerline on charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

According to statements made to an undercover Macomb County officer, Wilson-Strat of Ferndale tried to have the Armada woman killed not once, but twice, Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham confirmed Wednesday. Wilson-Strat is suspected of hiring Clark for $1,100 to kill the Armada Township woman. According to a  sheriff's department statement, Wilson-Strat drove Clark to the victim's house. Clark then allegedly broke in while the victim 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, who was posing as a hit man, on April 7 and discussed a plan to murder her boyfriend's wife, 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 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 Sears discussed the plan to murder her sister-in-law and Mansour discussed surveillance he had performed on the target.

On April 11, Wilson-Strat and Sears met again with the undercover detective in Warren to present the down payment, the sheriff's department confirmed. After $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 targeted woman was also arrested, but released pending further investigation, Wickersham said. 

Both women are 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 are charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and their bonds were set at $1 million and $500,000, respectively.

None of the suspects has posted bond, Wickersham said.

A preliminary hearing has been set for April 21.