Execution set for St. Charles man convicted in murder case

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The state Supreme Court has set an Aug. 14 execution for a man convicted of the 1992 murder-for-hire of a St. Charles woman.

Daniel Anthony Basile, 35, of Fenton was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death for the slaying of Elizabeth DeCaro. The Supreme Court set his execution date Tuesday, the attorney general's office said.

DeCaro, 29, was shot twice in the back of her neck at point-blank range on March 6, 1992, in the kitchen of her St. Charles home.

Earlier that day, Richard DeCaro had taken the couple's four young children on a weekend outing to the Lake of the Ozarks.

Authorities accused Richard DeCaro of hiring Basile to kill his wife for $15,000, two vehicles and some home electronics. DeCaro had recently taken out a $100,000 life insurance policy on his wife.

Basile was convicted by a St. Charles County jury in 1994.

He has been held at the Potosi Correctional Center.