Chaffee man charged with attempting to have ex-wife killed

A Chaffee, Missouri, man tried to arrange the killing of his ex-wife but unwittingly hired an undercover officer to do the job, police said.

The Scott County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on Friday charged Samuel W. Lix, 24, with first-degree conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree child endangerment.

Lix met with undercover Missouri State Highway Patrol Cpl. T. Templemire on Thursday after asking a confidential informant to find someone to kill his ex-wife, according to a probable-cause statement filed in the case by Templemire.

Lix asked Templemire to kill his ex-wife, telling the officer his ex-wife was trying to get custody of their child and making Lix pay $700 in child support each month, Templemire wrote.

Lix gave the officer a sketch of his ex-wife’s home, a photograph of her, license-plate numbers from the vehicles she was known to drive and a revolver to use in the killing, according to the statement.

Lix arranged to pay Templemire after the killing, and asked him, “You’re going to make sure she is dead, right? Not just f---ed up?” according to the statement.

Police later learned Lix had left his 2-month-old son at home unattended, according to a probable-cause statement filed in the case by Scott County Sheriff’s Sgt. Matt Scroggins.

Lix’s bond was set at $250,000 cash.

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-2637

Pertinent address:

Chaffee, Mo.