A Richmond Hill, Ont. woman accused of unwittingly approaching an undercover cop in an alleged attempt to hire someone to kill her husband made an appearance in court Tuesday.
York Regional Police’s homicide unit says 57-year-old Marina Ray, was arrested Monday, after she handed over money to the officer.
Police allege Ray believed she was paying a hitman to kill her 63-year-old husband, and has been charged with counselling to commit first-degree murder.
Police allege Ray first asked a friend to do the deed, but the friend went to the police.
Ray’s friend Alexei Pokrovski told CTV News the couple were happy early on in their marriage, but things quickly turned sour when Ray’s husband took her credit cards and racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.
“He didn’t make any contribution to that house, he just lived through her expenses,” Pokrovski said.
Property records show that Ray re-mortgaged the home in April for nearly $750,000. According to Pokrovski, she sold it earlier this month for more than $1.3 million.
Ray stood to gain about $500,000 from the deal, but according to Pokrovski, her estranged husband caught wind of the sale and stepped in with his lawyer, saying he wanted half. The matter was supposed to be settled next month.
“He wants half of everything, but (they’re)they were married,” Pokrovski said.
In the document filed by his lawyer, Ray’s estranged husband alleges she fraudulently issued a joint petition for divorce, and in doing so, improperly took his name off the property.
Ray is scheduled for a bail hearing in Newmarket, Ont., on Friday. She has been ordered not to contact her husband or a witness in the case.
