Medford woman accused of hiring man to kill her husband

Oct. 4—A Medford woman in the middle of divorce proceedings is in the Jackson County Jail accused of soliciting the murder of her husband.

Cheryl Ann King, 55, of the 2200 block of Skyview Drive, was arrested Thursday on a warrant stemming from a grand jury's indictment charging her with soliciting the crime of first-degree murder.

The grand jury's indictment alleges that between Jan. 1, 2021, and March 19 this year, King solicited a man identified as Larry Lee Stoner to "intentionally cause the death of Jack Ward King," her husband.

Terms of the alleged arrangement were not immediately available. The grand jury's indictment alleges simply that King solicited and agreed to pay Stoner "money and/or things of value" to cause her husband's death.

The grand jury heard testimony Sept. 15 from Stoner, a Jackson County sheriff's deputy and Jack King, according to the indictment filed in Jackson County Circuit Court.

The District Attorney's Office intends to seek stiffer penalties in the case on allegations that "the defendant has shown a lack of remorse with respect to this offense," according to a filing Friday from Deputy District Attorney Benjamin Lull, who is prosecuting the case.

At a Friday hearing, Judge pro tem Paul Moser ordered no early release for King unless she pays 10% bond on bail he set at $150,000. He further ordered no contact between King and the alleged victim.

Court records show Jack Ward King first petitioned for the dissolution of his marriage with Cheryl Ann King — also known as Cheryl A. Hardwick — citing "irreconcilable differences" Aug. 4, 2020.

The couple were married in Reno, Nevada, Aug. 26, 2006, and were separated July 15, 2019. A two-day trial finalizing their divorce is slated for Jan. 25 and 26, court records show. They have one child together.