LAFAYETTE, La. — A local millionaire has pleaded guilty to kidnapping charges after officials say he orchestrated the kidnapping of his estranged wife, a plot that went awry when the two men he hired drowned near Baton Rouge trying to evade police.
Lawrence Michael Handley pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of second-degree kidnapping and one count of attempted second-degree kidnapping. He was facing an aggravated kidnapping charge, which carried a life sentence.
He faces up to 35 years, a sentence that will be determined by a judge at a later date, his attorney, Kevin Stockstill said.
Authorities said Handley masterminded the August 2017 kidnapping of his estranged wife from their Lafayette home.
The couple were married in 2006, court records show, but things turned volatile in 2017 when multiple restraining orders were filed.
Handley filed for divorce in April 2017. He alleged that his wife attacked or threatened him multiple times and hired a hitman to kill him, while his wife alleged that Handley tried to track her phone, access her email and install spyware on her computer.
He also allegedly sent her threatening texts before the abduction, according to documents.
Handley hired two men, Sylvester Bracey and Arsenio Haynes, to carry out the crime.
On Aug. 6, 2017, Bracey and Haynes went to the couples' south Lafayette home. While Handley's wife visited with an teen relative and a friend, the hired kidnappers forced their way into the home with semi-automatic handguns, according to court documents.
“The kidnappers handcuffed (the wife), placed a bag over her head and forcibly removed her from the home,” according to a court document. The men then proceeded to threaten, torture and abuse her while on route to their destination, the document said.
Bracey and Haynes handcuffed the neighbor and teenager and left them inside. They then drove the van with the wife inside toward Baton Rouge.
Things took a turn when an overturned piece of equipment caused a major traffic jam. Bracey and Haynes drove on the shoulder of the road to get away from the traffic, but were seen by an off-duty sheriff's deputy.
The deputy followed the van until it reached a highway. Instead of turning left, where they could have taken a number of routes, the two men turned right onto a dead-end road.
The van got stuck in a swampy area, so Bracey and Haynes, both 27, bailed and ran into the nearby woods. They jumped into the Intracoastal Canal, where their bodies were found less than a day later. A gun was found in a nearby pipe that authorities believe belonged to one of the men.
Iberville Parish Sheriff's deputies found Handley's wife in the back of the van.
Police found Handley at a hotel on Aug. 11, 2017. He tried to charter a plane, according to court records.
Lafayette Police Department Detective Jared Istre found video of Handley planning the kidnapping and checklists Handley made, according to the district attorney's office.
The 53-year-old originally pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but was found mentally competent to stand trial.
"We just feel it's a fair result. It's a fair resolution of the case. Mr. Hanley was able to accept responsibility," his attorney, Stockstill, said. "Hopefully it gives the victims some closure and doesn't put them through a trial, which would have been a pretty stressful event. Having them relive these events was not something we wanted to do."
The victim was pleased with the outcome, according to a news release from the district attorney's office.
“The plea resolves the case without the victims having to relive their ordeal,” 15th Judicial Assistant District Attorney Alan Haney said in a statement. "The state looks forward to presenting additional evidence at the sentencing hearing."
Handley found business success early in the technology industry. He was a millionaire by the time he was 30, helping to launch companies that sold vitamins, energy supplements and calcium creams.
Follow Ashley White on Twitter: @AshleyyDi.
