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Corpse used in fake death scam

GEORGETOWN, Texas - Molly Daniels spent weeks surfing the Internet, gathering information for a bizarre and grisly plot of deception, police say.

She learned how to burn a human body beyond recognition. She sought clues on ways to deceive arson investigators, and took meticulous steps to create a new identity for her husband.

Daniels then dug up a woman's corpse, staged a fiery car accident to fake her husband's death, and had him re-emerge as her new boyfriend. Authorities say it was all to collect a $110,000 life insurance policy while hiding her husband, Clayton Daniels, from the police.

Molly Daniels pleaded guilty this past week to felony charges of insurance fraud and hindering apprehension, and was sentenced to the maximum 20 years in prison.

"This was a ghoulish, horrific crime," prosecutor Jane Starnes said.

Molly Daniels, 22, said the plan wasn't motivated by greed, but rather was a desperate attempt to keep her husband, Clayton Daniels, 24, out of prison stemming from a sexual assault charge.

Three days before he was to report to jail last June, police found a burned-out Chevrolet at the bottom of a roadside cliff. The corpse behind the wheel was unrecognizable, its head and limbs burned away.

Molly Daniels told friends and relatives her husband had died. Her co-workers raised $1,000 for her and attended a memorial service.

A few weeks later, Molly Daniels introduced "Jake Gregg," her new boyfriend, to their children, ages 4 and 1. He looked a lot like Clayton Daniels but had dyed black hair.

Searches of the Daniels' home and the computer Molly Daniels used to surf the Web revealed the scheme to get Clayton a new identity. Officers also found a list of plastic surgeons in Mexico.

Investigators said Molly Daniels told them the body was taken from a cemetery a few miles away. The body was an 81-year-old woman who had died in 2003.

Molly Daniels' father, John Honea, attended his daughter's sentencing.

"I thought I taught her better," Honea said.

Clayton Daniels is in custody awaiting trial on arson charges. He could face 20 years in jail.

[Last modified May 8, 2005, 00:46:16]