Crime & Safety

BREAKING: Al Zombory Pleads Guilty to Murder-for-Hire Scheme

Beachwood man maintains daughter's innocence in Facebook murder-for-hire

Beachwood man Al Zombory admitted in court today that he orchestrated a plan to hire a hitman to kill his ex-son-in-law, the News-Herald reports.

He told a judge that his daughter Christine Metter, 41, also of Beachwood, was not involved.

of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder for her involvement in the plot. but that she did not know her father would offer Sabo $50,000 to kill her ex-husband.

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Metter was the sole beneficiary of her ex-husband's $1.5 million life insurance payout, which prosecutors alleged was on motive for the plan. Her ex-husband also testified that

said witness Patrick Sabo, who called police after he said Zombory offered him $50,000 to kill Metter's ex-husband.

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In the chat, which was obtained by prosecutors from Facebook, Metter complained about her ex, and Sabo said, "Why don't you save your money and hire a hit man LMAO." He said he was joking, but that Metter and her father took it seriously.

Defense attorney Michael Lear's attempt to tear down Sabo's credibility during the trial, arguing that he is motivated by money and fame, did not lead to an acquittal.

Zombory's trial was scheduled to begin next week. He will be sentenced Feb. 21. Metter will be sentenced Feb. 23.

Click here for all of Beachwood Patch's coverage of this case.


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