FAYETTEVILLE -- A man recruited by a West Fork woman who plotted to blow up her ex-husband with a homemade pipe bomb pleaded guilty to an attempted battery charge Tuesday.
Andrew Cox, 21, pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree battery, a felony. Washington County Circuit Judge Mark Lindsay sentenced Cox to three years probation and fined him $1,000.
Shirley Ann Mugley, 41, pleaded guilty in early July to conspiracy to commit capital murder, possession of a destructive device and criminal use of a prohibited weapon.
Police believe a divorce pushed Mugley to plan to kill her ex-husband, Michael.
Lindsay sentenced Mugley to 40 years for all three charges at the Arkansas Department of Correction with 22 years suspended. She was given credit for 82 days jail time served.
Cox initially was charged with felony criminal use of a prohibited weapon. An arrest report identified Cox as Mugley's boyfriend.
"He cooperated with the investigation against Mugley," Brian Lamb, deputy prosecutor, said of the plea deal. "We would not have gotten Mugley without him."
Cox also was ordered to pay court costs and fees and have no contact with Michael Mugley.
A fisherman told the Washington County Sheriff 's Office he found an explosive device in a creek off Kettle Springs Road near Hogeye on April 20, 2013. Officers from several agencies determined it was a pipe bomb with a cellphone strapped to it.
Investigators identified Shirley Mugley as a person of interest, based on video surveillance, domestic history and cellphone information.
Cox told police about the plot to kill Mugley's ex-husband and she built the device in her basement, according to the arrest report. Cox planned to attach the bomb to Michael Mugley's car but changed his mind and threw the bomb into the creek.
NW News on 08/13/2014