New charges for Oak Creek man, who authorities say planned a 'murder-for-hire' plot

 

OAK CREEK, Wis. (CBS 58) -- New charges against an Oak Creek man who prosecutors say tried to kill his in-laws in Illinois just days before he was supposed to report to jail for abusing his wife.

Now, the sheriff's office in Will County says they've uncovered a "murder for hire" plot from inside the jail.

Michael Liu's in a jail cell in Will County, Illinois, but police say they learned he hadn't given up the idea of seeing his in-laws dead. They tell us they've uncovered another calculated attack.

Michael Liu was arrested at this home in Crete, Illinois, some 36 miles south of Chicago, after authorities say he attacked his in-laws, leaving them bleeding with multiple injuries.

"This guy's a menace to society. He's dead set on having his wife and his in-laws killed," said Deputy Chief Dan Jungles of the Will County Sheriff's Office.

Michael Liu was arrested after the bloody attack Nov. 30. Six weeks later, detectives were told he was trying to hire a hitman, and that he'd asked several inmates to help.

"We sent our detectives down right away and they interviewed the inmate, determined it to be very credible information. That inmate actually convinced Michael Liu that he had a friend who was a hitman. He needed $20,000. Would take $10,000 up front and then another $10,000 when it was delivered," said Jungles.

Police began monitoring Liu's jail conversations, and say they learned he also reached out by phone and by mail to friends here in Wisconsin.

"They didn't necessarily talk about murdering anyone, but it was all about, hey can you get me some money to move here, to move there because I got to make some payments for this, that and the other," said Jungles.

Jungles says they even came up with a code word.

"And that was 'how did the Badgers play the other day?' So, you know if he were to respond, 'oh they were awesome', it worked out great, they won, then that was the cue that the job was done basically," said Jungles.

Liu's attack on his in-laws came after Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow -- now a candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court -- gave Liu a two-day window to turn himself in to a Waukesha detention center after he violated an order of protection taken out by his wife.

Dorow said at the time Liu had no prior criminal history, and Wisconsin statutes do allow judges to grant defendants up to 60 days before beginning their jail sentence.

For now, Michael Liu's communications are being restricted in Will County. A grand jury next week is expected to return even more charges in the case.