An Israeli expat living in Oklahoma accused of plotting to kill her ex-husband in Israel has apologized for manufacturing the poison ricin as a judge sentenced her to more than three years in prison.
According to local media reports, Danielle Dana Layman was sentenced Tuesday. The Ponca City woman pleaded guilty to unregistered possession of ricin in February.
The 38-year-old Layman was arrested last year after another woman told the FBI of the murder-for-hire plot. The informant says she met Layman after responding to a Craigslist ad for an overseas acting job. The woman said the job involved poisoning a taxi driver in Israel, later identified as Layman's ex-husband.
The ad, according to court documents, said the candidate "doesn't have to be a professional actor. Required: Creative, outgoing and friendly, positive personality, boldness and bravery (some stunts may seem risky, although they are completely safe). Discrete (you must not disclose any information related to the plot to ANYONE under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, until after it premiers, except with explicit permission from production)."
Layman acknowledged making the toxin derived from castor beans, but insisted she never intended to use it, calling the alleged plot "an elaborate fantasy."
The judge said that Layman made the ricin while pregnant and with her four children in the house, but that she did not go far enough that her actions could be classed as attempted murder, the Oklahoman reported.
