A 63-year-old woman was indicted Thursday in connection with a murder-for-hire investigation led by the Parker County Sheriff’s Office Special Crimes Unit.
Sheriff Russ Authier said the investigation began after a confidential source reported that Pamela Jean Stanley, of Coleman, was planning to kill her ex-husband.
Stanley was recorded telling an acquaintance that she was attempting to buy powdered fentanyl, which she planned to inject into a box of high-end chocolates. Authorities said Stanley intended to send the chocolates to her ex-husband disguised as a congratulatory gift from a travel agency, complete with a fake honeymoon offer tied to his recent engagement.
Undercover investigators arranged a controlled operation in which Stanley drove several hours to meet them in the parking lot of a local motel along the interstate. Believing she was purchasing fentanyl, Stanley made the transaction with undercover officers and was taken into custody immediately afterward.
Deputies also found 9.5 grams of methamphetamine in Stanley’s possession. The Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab confirmed the substance.