Man accused of rape convicted of trying to hire hit man

MONROE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana man has been convicted of trying to hire a hit man to kill his ex-wife while he was in jail awaiting trial on sex charges involving her daughters. Prosecutors say a federal jury in Monroe found 48-year-old Steven Marcus Kelley, of West Monroe guilty of using the mail to commission a murder for hire in December 2019. The person who received the letter brought it the next morning to the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office. Prosecutors say Kelley offered $10,000 for a killing made to look like a robbery. He described the woman, her vehicle, where she worked and when she was likely to get to work.