Woman buys a pistol to kill her husband — but it’s a setup, Washington deputies say

A Washington woman angry at her husband for leaving her had tracked his movements, asked for help killing him and finally arranged to buy a pistol for the slaying, sheriff’s officials say.

But when Dawn Renee Rolfe, 54, of Kalama, arrived for a rendezvous Friday to purchase the weapon, she found she had been set up by deputies, the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office says in a statement.

Deputies arrested Rolfe on suspicion of attempted murder, harassment and unlawful possession of a firearm, the statement says.

Rolfe reportedly also had talked about killing two other people, but sheriff’s officials provided no information on her connection to them or reasons for wanting them dead.

A witness contacted the sheriff’s office to report that Rolfe had been stalking her estranged husband and two others, the statement says. Deputies say she’d planned how to kill them and asked for help finding someone to carry out the murders.

She also explained how she intended to pay the hired killer, sheriff’s officials say.

Rolfe talked about buying a pistol and explained how to alter it and remove evidence from it, the statement says.

Detectives investigating the reports overheard Rolfe ask to buy a pistol, according to deputies, and arranged for the witness to tell her a pistol had become available.

Deputies arrested Rolfe Friday after she bought the pistol at the arranged meeting, the statement says.

Correction: An earlier version of this story listed the incorrect state where the arrest took place.

This story was originally published September 8, 2019 at 9:52 AM with the headline "Woman buys a pistol to kill her husband — but it’s a setup, Washington deputies say."