SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was sentenced to nine years in state prison yesterday for attempting to have his ex-wife murdered during the course of their child support and custody family court hearings. William John Wallace, 36, Santa Ana, pleaded guilty on March 30, 2017, to one felony count of attempted murder and two felony counts of solicitation to commit murder.

Wallace is divorced from Jane Doe, with whom he shares a child. In 2013, the former couple was engaged in a child support and custody battle.

In August 2013, Wallace hired a private investigator to try to find negative information about the victim that could be used against her in court, where child support payments would be decided. Beginning in September 2013, the defendant told the private investigator that he wanted Jane Doe to be killed.

In October 2013, Wallace asked the private investigator if he knew of anyone who would murder Jane Doe and dispose of her body. The private investigator reported the solicitation to police.

On Dec. 21, 2013, Wallace met an undercover detective from the Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD), whom he believed to be a man who could facilitate the murder. The defendant offered to pay $30,000 for the murder of Jane Doe and showed the undercover detective a photograph of the victim so that she could be identified. Wallace asked that the murder take place after Dec. 23, 2013, as he would be leaving the country for Christmas. OCSD investigated this case.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Mark Gellar of the Family Protection Unit prosecuted this case.

Orange County District Attorney / Case # 13CF3980 / March 31, 2017