Charges of conspiracy to commit murder have been filed against Stephen Perry, an Indianapolis man working in Carmel, who is accused of offering $15,000 and a printing press for a coworker to kill his estranged wife.
According to police, the coworker secretly recorded two conversations between himself and Perry while at work. The coworker met with Perry’s estranged wife, and provided her with the recordings. Perry’s wife then reported the conversations to the police.
Police say Perry approached the coworker in November of last year and asked if he knew a person that would kill someone for him. According to the coworker, Perry said, “Well, you’re black. I know y’all know people.”
The coworker thought initially that Perry was joking, but over several weeks, Perry became more and more detailed with his request.
On Dec. 8, Perry approached the coworker again, this time offering specific incentives for the murder of his estranged wife.
“I’m giving you $15,000 straight up real cash,” Perry said on one of the recordings. “I just want this to be over and done with. So if she dies, I can drop the divorce lawsuit, she’s dead, and I’m free.”
Along with $15,000, Perry also offered a self-built printing press that he had designed with the intention of printing counterfeit money.
The coworker attempted to contact Allison Mayer, Perry’s wife, throughout December after realizing he was serious. On Dec. 29, the coworker met with Mayer at a Carmel Starbucks where he gave Mayer the cell phone with the recordings. The next day, Mayer contacted the Carmel Police Department.
Police arrested Perry at work last week. His bond is currently set at $250,000 after a judge lowered the initial $1-million bond at a court hearing recently.
Perry and Mayer had been together for 12 years and married since December 2009. Perry moved out in March of last year and filed for divorce in May.
Perry and Mayer’s divorce was complicated because she owns a business, Allison Mayer Photography, and Perry is in the process of receiving an inheritance as a result of his mother’s death in 2011, according to Mayer. The couple had accrued approximately $200,000 in debt.
Mayer said Perry had never threatened to kill her in the past, although they had been physically violent with each other. Mayer had not spoken to Perry since Christmas day.
