N. Idaho Attorney Found Guilty

An attorney who once represented the Aryan Nations has been found guilty on all counts related to a plan to hire a hit man to kill his wife and mother-in-law. The federal jury of 11 women and one man handed down the verdict in the murder-for-hire case involving north Idaho lawyer Edgar Steele. Steele was convicted on four counts, including use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission for murder for hire, possession of a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence and tampering with a victim. He faces up to 30 years in prison on the charge of possession of a destructive device. Federal prosecutors argued that Steele hired Larry Fairfax to kill his wife, Cyndi Steele, and mother-in-law last year because he wanted to collect on their life insurance policies and be free to pursue a relationship with another woman. Steele's defense attorney said his client was being set up by Fairfax, and that recordings of the two men discussing the murder plans were fabricated. Cyndi Steele has maintained her belief that her husband is innocent and would have never tried to orchestrate such a violent plot.