FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC at 410-209-4885
November 28, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONVICTED MURDERER SENTENCED FOR
SOLICITATION OF MURDER WHILE IN PRISON
Baltimore, Maryland – United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein announces that today U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles sentenced Ralph Manna, age 67, of Smithsburg, Maryland to 240 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release in connection with his conviction by a federal jury on August 18, 2005 of solicitation to commit a murder for hire. Judge Quarles ordered the sentence be served consecutively to Manna’s state sentence and recommended that he be moved from his state prison facility to a federal prison.
According to evidence presented at trial, Manna, who was serving a life sentence for the 1997 murder of Linda DeLauter and the attempted murder of another woman, solicited another inmate to assist him in hiring someone to kill his ex-wife and son. Testimony at trial indicated that on October 17, 2003, Manna met with an undercover officer posing as a “hit man” and provided him with information to carry out a murder for hire. Manna sought retaliation against his ex-wife and son as the result of his divorce settlement and their cooperation in the 1997 criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Rosenstein commended the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Maryland State Police, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Deborah Johnston, who prosecuted the case.
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