Charges: Mom hired hitmen to kill son-in-law

Prosecutors in Pierce County believe a Purdy woman hired hitmen to kill her son-in-law because he was violent toward her daughter.

Jacqueline Rena Ray pleaded not guilty Monday to first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of 33-year-old Leon Bauchman.

Last month, Bauchman’s body was found bound with duct tape in a ditch less than a mile from Ray’s home. He died of a single gunshot wound to the torso.

According to court documents, Bauchman was married to Ray’s daughter, but the two were not living together because Bauchman had allegedly beat her.

When first interviewed by police, Ray denied involvement in the murder but later admitted that she hired felon Luis Barker to kill Bauchman for $10,000.

Ray told police that Barker and his partner confronted Bauchman on the day of the murder. She walked outside and heard a commotion followed by a gunshot. She then heard the victim moaning on the front porch. He had not succumb to his injuries and claimed he would leave his wife alone.

Ray told detectives she provided a tarp to wrap the body in. She said Barker and his partner then loaded the victim into her minivan to dispose of the body.

Barker was arrested by police after Ray agreed to record a conversation in which they talked about the crime.

“Murder-for-hire only works in the movies,” said Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist.

Barker’s partner has not been identified and remains at-large.