When is Leigh Ann Bauman's trial? Former mother-in-law of accused is still 'scared to death' of the realtor
CAMDEN COUNTY, MISSOURI: The trial for a realtor charged with trying to hire someone to kill her ex-husband's mother is expected to start on March 14, 2022. A Camden County judge scheduled a five-day trial for Leigh Ann Bauman, 43, after she was arrested by Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers in March on a single count of conspiracy to commit murder.
Court documents show that Bauman allegedly tried to pay someone $1,500 to kill her ex-husband's mother. The person, who has not been identified, subsequently contacted a lawyer and recorded a conversation with Bauman discussing the sinister plot.
RELATED ARTICLES
Bauman reportedly told the unnamed witness that her former mother-in-law was the reason behind the strained relationship she had with her daughter to whom she allegedly sent a text that read in part, "your grandmother will die soon."
During the taped conversation, Bauman allegedly told the person she was hiring, who is now a police witness, to make it "look like an accident." When asked multiple times whether "she was sure she wanted to hire these people," she indicated that she did, adding that “she knew as a Christian it was wrong but she could ask for forgiveness.”
Court documents reveal that Bauman who got divorced in 2018 believed that her ex-husband and her former mother-in-law were going to take Bauman to court for full custody of the children. According to a report by KY3, prosecutors said that Bauman should be held without bail because of “her finances and danger to the victim.” The names of Bauman's ex and her former mother-in-law have not been disclosed to the public.
On Facebook, Bauman referred to herself as “Art Dealer, CEO, HBIC at The Lake Ozark Gallery LLC. Commercial & Residential RealtorR at Universal Realty Group at realtor.com Pro. Lives in Lake Ozark, Missouri.” According to Camden County prosecutor Caleb Cunningham, ”the local realtor had several political connections and the witness was aware of these political connections.” In one Facebook post, Bauman wrote that she enjoyed accompanying a mayor as “1st Lady of Lake Ozark & visit with our core of dynamic professionals!” The Facebook page has since been taken down.
Bauman was bonded out of custody last month, after being held on a $400,000 cash or surety bond. And on Tuesday, May 4, a Miller County judge granted Bauman's former spouse an order of protection for himself and his children.
"My daughters, my family and I have endured so much emotional and psychological damage from Leigh Ann Bauman's actions over the past 15 years," Bauman's ex wrote in a petition, per court documents. "She has made numerous threats to destroy me, personally and professionally."
He claimed that Bauman drinks heavily and has previously pulled a gun on a pizza delivery driver. The petition also claimed that Bauman had texted her daughter prior to her arrest that "just because your grandma will die soon, please do not throw your real mother under the bus."
Meanwhile, Bauman's mother-in-law reportedly still fears for her safety after becoming the target of the alleged murder-for-hire plot. "I'm scared to death... she wouldn't hesitate to hurt her daughters to get even with me, and she wouldn't hesitate to hurt my children because she knows it would destroy me," she said during an initial hearing following Bauman's March arrest.
Online court records indicate that a pre-trial conference is scheduled to start on December 22, 2021. All trial dates are slated to be held at the Camden County Courthouse.