News

July 17, 2010

Murder in her heart, law on her side

From prison, an ex-wife keeps up the pressure on the man she tried to have killed

By Terrie Morgan-Besecker tmorgan@timesleader.com
Law & Order Reporter   |   Terrie Morgan-Besecker on Facebook   |   @TLTerrieMorgan on Twitter

PLAINS TWP. – Richard Storm thought the worst was over the day in 2007 when his then-wife, Mary, was sentenced to prison for trying to have him killed.

He had survived three shotgun blasts that tore through his legs, hand and face. He was relieved that she had pleaded guilty, and hoped the six- to 12-year prison sentence Mary received meant she was out of his life for good.

But Mary was not through inflicting grief on him, Richard discovered.

Within the past year, Mary, writing from her prison cell, has filed several court petitions seeking to force Richard to pay her more than $56,000 she contends she’s owed as part of their divorce settlement. The amount includes roughly $7,400 in alimony payments she claims she should have received while out on bail awaiting trial on the attempted homicide charge for trying to kill him.

Richard, 44, has been forced to spend several thousand dollars in legal fees fighting the court actions.

“I was lying in bed and got shot three times by a shotgun. Isn’t that bad enough?” a disgusted Richard said in an interview from his Plains Township home. “She thinks I owe her something. … What else can she get off me? She wanted my life.”

Erik Dingle, Richard Storm’s attorney, shares his client’s frustration. Unfortunately, there’s little Richard can do, Dingle said, because Mary Storm is exercising her rights under the civil court system. Her criminal conviction makes no difference, he said.

“You look at this and say, ‘You gotta be kidding me,’ ” Dingle said. “This is unbelievable. The problem is once she files stuff, you are obliged to defend it. Otherwise bad things happen.”

Mary Storm, 55, formerly of Moosic, pleaded guilty in January 2007 to criminal conspiracy to commit homicide in connection with the June 15, 2006 shooting of Richard inside his home at the Mount Lookout trailer park in Exeter.

Police said Mary promised her ex-husband, James Wylam, and her boyfriend, James Wilkins, $20,000 each if they killed Richard. Wylam, the triggerman, and Wilkins, who drove the getaway car, also pleaded guilty to charges related to the crime and are currently serving prison sentences.

Despite her conviction, Mary continues to retain legal rights in the divorce case, Dingle said. Richard’s woes stem partly from a master’s report that was issued in May 2007 as part of their divorce, which was finalized on June 25, 2007. The couple was married in October 1996.

The report directed that the couple’s home in Moosic and most of their personal belongings be split 50-50. Mary also was awarded a one-third share of Richard’s pension, to be paid once he retires from The Lion Brewery.

Mary began serving her prison sentence in February 2007. Richard heard nothing from her until last year, when Mary, acting as her own attorney, filed two court petitions that sought back alimony payments and her share of the couple’s assets at the time of their divorce.

One of the petitions seeks the return of personal items that were inside the home she owned with Richard at the time they separated in 2005. The petition lists dozens of items, ranging from a $3,200 surround-sound stereo system to four two wicker rockers and four crystal wind chimes valued at $300.

The petition, filed in August 2009, claims Richard returned to the home – which had been inhabited only by Mary and her son since 2005 – and “stole” the items following her arrest. She asked a judge to order Richard to return the items to her or pay her their value, which she pegged at $49,000.

A separate petition filed in July 2009 sought back payments of $918.67 per month for spousal support, or alimony, for eight months. Richard had been paying the alimony for two years prior to the attempt on his life. A court stopped the payments after Mary was arrested in June 2006.

Mary, again acting as her own attorney, alleged she was due the payments for the eight-month period between her arrest and guilty plea. She argued that, because she was “presumed innocent” during that time period, she was entitled to the payments.

Richard said he was stunned when he got the court papers.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “It’s just not fair. It seems like I have to pay for the rest of my life and the criminal gets a free ride.”

He challenged the petition for the personal belongings, noting he had not lived in the home for two years and had no control over its contents. He took only an ATV that he was awarded. He assumed all other items were discarded by the mortgage holder, which foreclosed on the home following Mary’s incarceration.

On March 2, Judge William Amesbury denied Mary’s petition for the belongings, but granted her permission to seek to obtain a third of Richard’s pension.

Richard said he’s not happy that Mary is entitled to any part of his pension once he retires, but said he realizes he has little chance to overturn that ruling. He estimates he’ll have to pay her $100 a month, but vowed she’ll never see the money.

“I won’t retire. I’ll work till I die rather than give her that money,” he said.

Regarding the alimony matter, Senior Judge Charles Brown Jr. denied that petition on Aug. 6, 2009. Mary appealed the decision to the state Superior Court, which upheld the trial court in a ruling issued on July 9 this year.

Richard said he’s thankful the courts have ruled in his favor, but disgusted that he had to expend so much time, energy and money.

“When does it stop?” he asked. “I’m just a poor bastard trying to make an honest living. They make it hard for guys like me. The scum in prison have all the rights and I have nothing.”

While Mary continues to try to get money from him, Richard has had little success in collecting the $2,300 in restitution a judge ordered her and her two co-defendants to pay him in connection with the criminal case. To date he’s gotten $80, he said.

Richard, who has since remarried, said he’s working hard to rebuild his life. But the legal battle over the divorce has been a financial strain, compounding the physical injuries and emotional turmoil he still suffers as a result of the attempt on his life, he said.

One of the shotgun blasts struck his left hand, leaving him with permanent nerve damage, and he still has some shotgun pellets lodged in his head, he said.

“I deal with pain every day of my life,” he said.

That’s nothing compared to the mental anguish he endures, he said. He’s constantly looking over his shoulder, fearful someone is going to ambush him at any time, and suffers from nightmares.

“Every day I wake up I try to forget, but she won’t let it be forgotten,” he said. “It’s like a wound that’s trying to heal, but someone keeps pouring salt on it.”

He’s hopeful, but not optimistic, that the legal battles regarding the divorce are over.

“If she can squeeze a nickel here or dollar there, why not do it? She knows how to work the system and she’s doing a hell of a job,” he said.
 

Tweet	Follow @TLnews