She pleads guilty -- but is fuzzy on murder plot

A teacher pleaded guilty in a plot against her stepmother, and agreed her voice is on tapes, but she doesn't remember the deal.

By ROCHELLE OLSON, Star Tribune

Last update: November 12, 2009 - 11:16 PM

Emily Roitenberg wanted her stepmother dead, and was willing to pay a hit man called J.J. to get it done.

The former Benilde-St. Margaret's High School teacher wanted the money from her father's $8 million estate, which her stepmother had inherited. In conversations taped this year between Roitenberg and J.J., who actually was an undercover officer, she said she would pay up to $45,000 to have her stepmother killed, allowing her to get half the estate.

That scenario was described in charges filed against Roitenberg in Hennepin District Court last spring. On Thursday, she pleaded guilty, although she said in court that she has no memory of her alleged actions.

Wearing a jail-orange outfit with her wavy dark-blonde hair pulled back in a barrette, Roitenberg, 40, entered her guilty plea to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder so softly that it could barely be heard. She then took a seat on the witness stand in Judge Peter Albrecht's courtroom, to provide the details of her crime.

Roitenberg said she had no memory of the alleged behavior and was relying on the undercover audio recordings as proof against her. "The tapes would be my thing," she said.

Albrecht asked, "that convicts you?"

Yes, she said, "I am accepting that it's me on those tapes."

The scheme became public in March when an informant told law enforcement that he had had at least 11 conversations with Roitenberg about killing her stepmother, Gail Fiskewold.

The informant then set up a meeting March 13 with the agent who posed as a hit man. In a series of recorded contacts, Roitenberg told the agent she would pay $40,000 to have Fiskewold killed. When the agent expressed concern about Roitenberg fleeing, she increased the offer to $45,000, the recordings indicated.

Roitenberg also is heard giving the agent $200 to buy a shotgun, according to comments in court.

None of the tapes was played in court, but Roitenberg has heard them. When she was asked to confirm the details, her lack of memory complicated the session.

Roitenberg said that, at the time of the incident, she was taking more than a dozen prescribed medications as well as alcohol. The drugs included Paxil, methadone, Atavan, Topomax, Nubain, Norflex and Effexor.

"You have no reason to doubt the allegations based on the [criminal] complaint?" asked Roitenberg's lawyer, Juanita Kyle.

Roitenberg said, "Based on the complaint."

But Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Thad Tudor shook his head to signal his dissatisfaction with the plea, so Albrecht picked up the questioning.

Roitenberg started to cry and said, "I'm nervous. I don't right now remember."

After a series of questions from Albrecht and Tudor, the judge said, "I have to be sure you did it."

Roitenberg said, "I am saying I did it, but I don't remember."

She responded "yes" when Albrecht said, "You are accepting that you did pay a man to kill your stepmother?"

Roitenberg will be sentenced Nov. 30. Before taking the plea, Albrecht told her that Kyle had lobbied hard for probation, but he said, "I can't see my way to that."

The judge said he would likely sentence Roitenberg to 10 years in prison, not the 20-year sentence that state guidelines would allow. After that news, Roitenberg balked and met privately with Kyle. She returned and entered the plea.

As she left the courtroom, she waved to three women in the front row. Albrecht asked if one of the women was named Roitenberg and one said, yes. "I'm so sorry for what you're experiencing as a parent," the judge said.

Asked for comment outside the courtroom, the woman held up her hand and turned away.

Rochelle Olson • 612-673-1747