It's interesting enough to hear of a small-town murder-for-hire scheme.

It's even more fun to read when it's about the lamest scheme you've ever heard.

A Bridger Valley, Wyoming man was sentenced to life in prison after his lame and unsuccessful attempt at a murder-for-hire scheme on his ex-wife.

While already in jail in Wheatland, Matthew Olson, of Ft. Bridger, let it be known that he wanted his ex-wife killed.

Others allegedly involved in the scheme were Shannon Ambriola, Olson’s stepsister, and the mother of his newborn child.

Ambriola would be the one to transfer the money to pay for the planned murder.

An informant spilled the beans about the plan.

He told authorities he had learned of the plot when he and Olson were detained together.

Alcatraz Federal Prison
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HINT: Want to kill your ex? DO NOT TALK ABOUT IT WITH ANYONE WHO MIGHT WANT TO LISTEN TO YOU!

That person you're talking to might want to get in the good graces of the cops by turning you in.

Olson went on to tell his cellmate that he had tried to kill his ex-wife once before by pushing her out of a moving vehicle.

Police investigated while his wife was recovering from serious injuries in the hospital.

He bragged that he had convinced the officer his wife had been driving.

He went on the brag, which is always a big mistake, that he could beat all of his charges if his ex-wife were gone.

Think he's gone too far?

Think he's made his last boneheaded mistake?

OH NO!

Dan Kitwood, Getty Images
Dan Kitwood, Getty Images
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He went on to say that he wanted his ex-wife’s entire family killed.

Olson said that he would pay $1,000 from a stimulus check.

He promised more money once the job was done.

The cell maker promised to have "his gang" perform the killing.

But there was difficulty cashing the stimulus check.

The informant said he never planned on carrying out the murder.

He went along because he wanted to see how far Olson would take it.

The informant never had a gang.

Working with police a photograph and video of Olson’s check was sent to authorities.

Olson was halfway through the first sentence, ranging from four to eight years when he did all of this.

But now prosecutors were recommending a life sentence to be served consecutively without the possibility of parole.

The defense, in contrast, claimed that the enormity of the sentence was punishment enough.

There is an old saying about quitting while you are ahead.

That saying really does apply here.

Devils Tower As Seen From The Mother Ship

If you've see the movie (documentary) Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, then you know what it looked like to see "The Mother Ship" descending down to Devils Tower.

But what did it look like from the Mother Ship's point of view?

We don't have any actual photos from the Mother Ship

So we recreated the scene using Google Earth and one Nasa Photo.

Reading The Past - Chugwater Wyoming Newspaper

These pages of the old Chugwter Wyoming newspaper show us coverage of the region from back in the 1940s.

There was little local news, other than the war.

But what was published at the time was important to the people of the area.

It was, in most case, the only news they had from outside their little ranch or town.

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