Bail has been set at one-million-dollars each for a Plainfield woman and her son in a murder-for-hire case.
Pauline Chase, 83, and her son Maurice Temple, 63, appeared briefly by video conference before a judge Friday in Claremont District Court. Both were arrested on Thursday and charged with plotting to have another man, Mark Horne, kill Temple's ex-wife, Jean Temple.
At the hearing, Chase appeared in a wheelchair. At one point, she began interrupting the proceedings to defend herself before the judge advised her to stay silent. According to court documents, she allegedly paid Horne about $5,000 as a down payment to have Jean Temple killed. Court records show the Temples have had ongoing disputes over the terms of their divorce, and Maurice was arrested in June for failing to comply with court orders.
The next hearing has been set for August 7.
Police say the arrests follow an extensive investigation involving Plainfield police, the state attorney general's office drug task force, the state police major crime unit, and the Sullivan County Attorney's office.
