Some people will do just about anything to get out of something that they don't want to do, but most of us wouldn't resort to conspiracy to commit murder. This is what happened to a Phoenix, Arizona, businessman facing an expensive divorce.

The defendant, 74, was arrested last week in connection with allegedly planning a conspiracy to murder his wife and have her buried in the desert. He was booked into a Maricopa County jail on $2 million bond.

According to his wife, she had recently served the defendant with divorce papers that requested a multimillion-dollar settlement along with an equal split of their belongings.

In court records, it states that the defendant set up a meeting with an employee of his to conspire to kill his wife and dispose of the evidence. The employee felt that the defendant might ask him to do this and came prepared to the meeting with a hidden microcassette and recorded the conversation.

Police involved in the investigation allege that the information that they received from the employee and the taped conversation, show that the defendant did indeed speak to the employee about digging a hole in the desert, where no one would find it. The recording also states that the defendant gave the employee a deposit with the promise of an additional $10,000 when the job was completed and an incentive of $10,000 per year for every year that his silence was kept.

After the meeting, the employee immediately reported what happened to police and turned over the recording. The employee and the wife are fearful of the defendant for his past propensity for violence.

This is an extreme case of divorce and the conflicts that can come up. Division of assets, spousal support and child custody are all painful issues that need to be dealt with in divorce proceedings. A qualified divorce attorney specializing in difficult or high asset divorces, can help you deal with the issues and the implications involved and help you find the best solution for your particular situation.

Source: Arizona Republic News, "Phoenix businessman accused in plot to kill wife," William Hermann, Jan. 18, 2012