No-Contest Plea By Husband In Murder Plot Case

MOUNT CLEMENS (WWJ/AP) - A 68-year-old man accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill his wife of 27 years has pleaded no-contest to a charge of solicitation to murder.

Charles Tringali of Roseville made the plea Monday in Macomb County Circuit Court in Mount Clemens as part of a sentencing deal. A no contest plea isn't an admission of guilt, but is treated as such for sentencing purposes.

Defense lawyer Steven Freers said the deal calls for Judge Peter Maceroni to sentence Tringali to the middle of the sentencing guideline range, about four to six years.

According to investigators, Tringali wanted out of his marriage, but wasn't planning on getting a divorce. When police received a tip last year that Tringali wanted someone to kill his wife, they arranged a meeting between him and an undercover detective.

Police say Tringali met the undercover officer and discussed a location for the killing, along with the method. Police say Tringali was arrested after making a down payment of $100 and promising to pay half of a life insurance policy. Tringali's wife, who lives in a nursing home, was unhurt.

Freers told The Macomb Daily he will argue that Tringali's conduct was not predatory because his wife never learned of the plot until after he was arrested. He also said Tringali claims he was framed by a roommate.

"My theory is the guy living with him goated him along," Freers said. "He set him up, and while he (Tringali) was in jail, stripped his house. He even took the furnace and the water heater. He pretty much cleaned the place out."

Freers said he was unsure if police investigated the theft claim.

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