Prosecutor: Wife killed husband for insurance

CLEVELAND—The wife of a Cleveland firefighter conspired with a group of young men to kill her husband so she could collect on a life insurance policy and cover up financial fraud she committed in her husband’s name, prosecutors said on Monday.

Uloma Walker-Curry, 44, was indicted on aggravated murder, conspiracy and felonious assault charges in the November 2013 slaying of fire Lt. William Walker, 45, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office announced.

He was shot to death in the driveway of his Cleveland home. Chad Padgett, 21, Christopher Hein, 22, and Ryan Dorty, 23, were

Investigators say 44-year-old conspired with a group of men to kill her firefighter husband so she could collect on a life insurance policy and cover up financial fraud she committed in her husband’s name

indicted on the same charges.

Walker-Curry asked Padgett and a juvenile to kill her husband, prosecutors said.

They alleged Padgett then recruited his cousin, Hein, who turned to Dorty, who killed Walker.

Cleveland homicide detectives initially followed leads provided by Walker-Curry that neighborhood drug dealers might have killed her husband to stop him from complaining about them.

But a Crime Stoppers tip and cellphone technology, including text messages, led detectives to investigate Walker-Curry, who was arrested last week, prosecutors said.

Dorty was sentenced to 15 years in prison last year for an unrelated aggravated robbery.

Padgett was arrested Aug. 8 for Walker’s slaying. Padgett dated Walker-Curry’s daughter, prosecutors said. (AP)