Thursday, August 12, 2010
Rigling Bond Set At $150,000 In Murder For Hire Case
A bond hearing was held Thursday for a Lawrenceburg man accused of being responsible for the death of his wife in 1992 through a murder for hire scheme.
Indictments were recently returned by a Lawrence County Grand Jury against Phillip Rigling, now 74, of 341 Jackson Avenue, and Curtis Staggs, 40, of Fredricktown, Missouri, formerly of Lawrenceburg, in connection with the June 19, 1992 murder of Joann Rigling, age 57. Both men were indicted on charges of first degree murder, felony murder and aggravated robbery.
Joann Rigling was found dead inside Phil’s One Stop, a market she owned with husband Phillip. Thieves took the store’s cash register and fled after shooting Rigling once in the head.
Jimmy Dale Hogan, now 44, was convicted of first degree murder and especially aggravated robbery in the case in August of 1997, (his first trial earlier that year ended in a hung jury) and had been serving a life sentence. In 2008, however, Hogan was granted a new trial on the murder charge. He has continued to be incarcerated through the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) on the robbery charge, awaiting the new trial.
In 1998, codefendant Tammy Smith, now 40, entered a best interest guilty plea to one count of second degree murder. She received a 23 year prison sentence and was incarcerated through TDOC, but has since been released.
Authorities indicate that while they were re-investigating in connection with Hogan’s upcoming trial, new evidence came to light, incriminating both Rigling and Staggs. That evidence was the basis for the indictments.
Officials now allege that Phillip Rigling had approached several different individuals about killing wife Joann. Some indicate that he had offered Staggs $50,000 to complete the task. The money stolen from the market was allegedly partial payment for the hit.
Rigling appeared before Lawrence County Circuit Court Judge Jim T. Hamilton Thursday afternoon, represented by Defense Attorney Russ Parkes. Parkes requested that Hamilton set bond at $50,000. District Attorney Mike Bottoms, however, requested that bond be denied, or that, due to the seriousness of the charges, a substantial bond be set.
After hearing testimony, Hamilton opted to set bond at $150,000. He allowed Rigling’s real estate holdings to stand for the bond. He did, however, make the bond a restrictive one, ordering Rigling to have no contact with family or friends who may serve as witnesses during trial.
.
