Center for St. Louis Blues Charged in Alleged Murder-for-Hire Scheme

AP ^ | April 16, 2004

[nuconvert]

Center for St. Louis Blues Charged in Alleged Murder-for-Hire Scheme

Apr 16, 2004

By Betsy Taylor/ Associated Press Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) - A center for the St. Louis Blues was arrested Friday in an alleged murder-for-hire scheme, the FBI said. Mike Danton, 23, was arrested at the airport in San Jose, Calif., after the Blues were knocked out of the NHL playoffs in a loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.

According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Illinois, Danton told a female friend that a hitman from Canada was coming to kill him and asked the woman if she knew someone who would kill the person for $10,000.

The woman, identified as Katie Wolfmeyer, passed his call to another man, described in the complaint as a "cooperating witness."

The FBI witness and Danton spoke again on Thursday, and Danton allegedly hatched a plot where the witness could kill the "hitman" at Danton's apartment and make it look like two burglars had broken in, one being killed and the other making off with $3,000 Danton had in a safe.

The "hitman" was actually an unidentified acquaintance of Danton's, according to court documents. Authorities said Friday they have no reason to believe that the acquaintance or anyone else had been planning to kill Danton. "We couldn't confirm that to be accurate," said Marshall Stone, supervisory FBI special agent in Springfield, Ill.

Danton and Wolfmeyer, 19, both face federal murder-for-hire charges.

A spokesman for the Blues, Frank Buonomo, declined to comment Friday, saying in a statement, "The matter is in the hands of law enforcement officials and the judicial system."

The Blues could not immediately put the Associated Press in touch with an agent or lawyer for Danton.

Danton, formerly known as Mike Jefferson, was suspended twice by the New Jersey Devils, who eventually traded him to St. Louis last June. He had seven goals, 12 points and 141 penalty minutes in 68 games this season with the Blues.

[nuconvert]

Hiring a 'hitman'....that'll get ya time in the penalty box.

[Desdemona]

As if the Blues didn't have enough problems.

[BeerSwillr]

...a hit man from Canada...
Oh brother!

[quidnunc]

Apparently the hockey player wanted the other guy killed because they had a lovers' quarrel.

[Alberta's Child]

Very colorful comments on this thread here:

You Just Can't Make This Sh!t Up

[dandelion]

NOooo, "Oh, Canada"...

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

...Danton told a female friend that a hitman from Canada was coming to kill him and asked the woman if she knew someone who would kill the person for $10,000.

This is so weird. I wonder what this guy is into? This isn't the type of thing that an upstanding citizen worries about. This sounds like a drug deal that went bad.

[Alberta's Child]

Danton, formerly known as Mike Jefferson, was suspended twice by the New Jersey Devils . . .

As a Devils fan, I can tell you that we all knew this guy was a loony-tune when Mike Jefferson was replaced by Mike Danton, and it turned out he was the same guy.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

He had seven goals, 12 points and 141 penalty minutes in 68 games this season with the Blues.

Sounds like the Blues won't have any trouble getting rid of this dead weight. He wasn't a real valuable player and the NHL doesn't like this kind of publicity. The Blues are probably drafting paperwork in the front office to cut him Saturday morning.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Yeah, this is goofy. I'm thinking the Devils are counting their blessings right now for trading this knucklehead. A hockey team has enough to worry about without a guy on the team in a murder rap.

Do you know what the Devils suspended him for?

[Desdemona]

The Blues are probably drafting paperwork in the front office to cut him Saturday morning.

Don't be so sure. This IS the Blues we're talking about. There have been some MAJOR bone-headed moves by that front office under every ownership, including Bill Laurie. Don't get me started or I might go on about a certain night in 1986 when the note traded Joey Mullen in the middle of a game.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

True enough, I shouldn't assume anything as a sure thing.

[Alberta's Child]

If I remember correctly, back around 2002 he was demoted to their minor-league affiliate and refused to report. The team suspended him for the remainder of the season, then traded him in the off-season.

Ironically, the Devils really didn't want to see him go. He didn't have a lot of talent, but he was a real gamer who gave 110% every minute he was on the ice.

[Nexus6]

Yeah, this was the guy that "wasn't going to drink Lou's kool-aid" as I recall. I'll tell you what though, the guy could throw'em pretty good for a puffter. This has an HBO special written all over it. Wonder who they'll get to play Lou?

[mean lunch lady]

Love your tagline : bad spellers of the world untie.

I am a member of DAM - Mothers Against Dyslexia

[nuconvert]

Lol. Yes there are. Thanks

[Alberta's Child]

Wonder who they'll get to play Lou?

Danny DeVito.

[Nexus6]

LOL...how about Don Rickles?

[MEG33]

His lover,another man, was going to leave him because he played around and drank too much..lover's quarrel."If I can't have you, no one can"