NEWS

Mother and daughter in murder-for-hire plot in court Wednesday

Logan T. Carlson
News-Herald Media

NEILLSVILLE – The mother and daughter who authorities allege tried to hire a hitman to kill two men were in Clark County Court on Wednesday.

Shari Klimmer, 46, and her daughter, Porscha Rizza, 21, both of the town of Sherman, are each potentially facing charges of two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree intentional homicide.

Authorities allege the two tried to hire someone to kill two of Rizza's ex-lovers, after one of the men allegedly wanted to change the custody agreement between Rizza and himself because he was moving to Minnesota.

According to the criminal complaint, Rizza started soliciting a man in September. That man went to authorities in October, when he assisted law enforcement in building a case against the 21-year-old woman. Rizzi allegedly offered $600 to kill one of the men.

An investigator with the Clark County Sheriff's Department was then contacted by Rizzi, with phone conversations and text messages from Rizzi confirming her intentions to have one of the men killed.

On Monday, another informant came forward, stating the informant was contacted by Rizzi and Klimmer, and said the two were trying to find someone to kill the man and another man who fathered a child with Rizzi. The informant told detectives Klimmer had offered a total of $10,000 to kill the two men.

Authorities worked with the second informant to arrange a meeting with Klimmer, where she allegedly offered collateral in exchange for the murder-for-hire plot to go forward. Law enforcement arrested Klimmer.

Detectives from the Clark County Sheriff's Office went to the residence Klimmer shared with Rizza in the town of Sherman, where they took Rizza into custody as well.

The complaint alleges Klimmer and Rizza admitted to the plot while being questioned by officers following their arrests.

The two face up to 60 years in prison if convicted on both charges. The two are currently being held on a $500,000 bond each.

They are due back in court Dec. 4.

Logan T. Carlson can be reached at 715-384-3131 ext. 328.