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The upcoming episode of Dateline: Unforgettable will air on June 21, 2022, and is set to focus on the infamous murder conspiracy case involving Christine Metter, a woman from Ohio who'd planned to hire a hitman to kill her ex-husband. The official synopsis of the episode reads:
''Andrea Canning recalls a case in which investigators set up an elaborate sting operation to stop a murder-for-hire plot.''
The plot was exposed by an ex-army ranger and Christine's school friend, Patrick Sabo. Read further ahead to learn more about the case and how Sabo exposed Metter's murder-for-hire plot ahead of the new Dateline: Unforgettable episode.
Dateline: Unforgettable set to explore Christine Metter and her father's assassination attempt against her husband
Christine Metter and her husband David Metter reportedly separated in 2009. The couple had four children; David won custody of one of their four kids and was reportedly in the process of gaining custody of the rest of the children.
According to Oxygen, Christine and her father, Al Zombory, did not like David. After the couple's divorce, she got in touch with one of her school friends, Patrick Sobo, with whom she'd spoken about her divorce, and often complained about her husband.
As per Oxygen, Sabo asked her to save her money and hire a hitman, to which Christine did not respond with a serious reply. However, she later invited him to dinner with her father where Zombory, according to Patch News, offered him $50,000 to kill his former son-in-law.
Dateline: Unforgettable will explain how Patrick Sobo exposed the entire plot
After the deal was made, Sabo went straight to the police and reported the matter. Authorities then asked him to tell the father and daughter that he'd found a better hitman so that police could send Detective Christopher Bowerstock undercover.
After a discussion with Zombory and Christine, Bowerstock was sent as an undercover, disguised as a hitman. According to police tapes obtained by Murder for Hire, Zombory spoke about his anger and frustration over David gaining custody over one of his grandchildren.
As per Oxygen, Zombory offered him a down payment of $3,000, following which the murder was staged by authorities. As proof, Bowerstock showed Zombory and Christine a fake photograph. Subsequently, the father and daughter were arrested.
At the trial, Christine pleaded not guilty. She told the jury that her ex-husband had been physically abusive and was involved in an affair with a colleague. Reportedly, Christine's also sister testified for her in court. Her lawyer argued that his client was innocent and that Zombory had manipulated her.
Christine was ultimately found guilty of conspiring to kill her former husband David Metter by the jury, and received a 10-year prison sentence. Her father Al Zombory later pleaded guilty in court, claiming that his daughter wasn't aware of the plot. However, the prosecutor argued that his claim contradicted the statements Christine made at the trial.
According to Murder for Hire, Zombory was eventually sentenced to nine years in jail. He died in jail in 2018, reportedly due to natural causes; he had served five years of his sentence.
Don't miss the new Dateline: Unforgettable episode on June 21, 2022.
