Stern family 'relieved' after murder-plot case gets dropped

Lawyer was accused of masterminding mistress's alleged plan to kill his wife

By Brian Rogers

Updated 11:37 p.m., Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Lawyers for Jeffrey Stern depicted him as the victim of a woman's obsession.
Photo: Nick De La Torre / © 2012 Houston Chronicle

Houston and Texas

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Things looked bleak for Bellaire lawyer Jeffrey Sternwhen he was arrested with a gun in May 2010 as police detained his mistress for allegedly trying to kill his wife.

Investigators said Michelle Gaiser hired three triggermen to kill Yvonne Stern earlier that year.Stern's wife soon filed for divorce. Jeffrey Stern was charged with masterminding the plots. His mistress agreed to testify against him.

Then the couple reconciled, and Houston was captivated as Yvonne Stern said she believed her husband's story and asked publicly that charges be dropped.

More than two years after he was arrested, prosecutors Tuesday decided there was not enough credible evidence to go to trial. Just days before jury selection, the Harris County District Attorney's Office dismissed the case, which hinged on the testimony of Stern's mistress.

"If you didn't believe Michelle Gaiser, you didn't have a case," said First Assistant District Attorney Jim Leitner.

Leitner said the case was based on accomplice testimony that relied on Gaiser's credibility and had to be corroborated by outside facts.

"The credibility of our witness was super important," he said. "Every time she wrote a letter or said something else, it made corroboration that much harder."

He also said he had never seen the amount of resources Stern's defense team poured into the case.

A cadre of lawyers, investigators and public relations professionals examined every angle of the case and continually proclaimed that Stern was innocent.

They characterized Gaiser as a woman obsessed and insisted Jeffrey Stern was also a victim, not the puppet master that Gaiser claimed.

'Hats off to the defense'

The case broke Stern's way last month when his lawyers learned, then held a news conference to broadcast, that Gaiser had written a damning letter in which she seemed to be orchestrating another murder-for-hire attempt.

"Hats off to the defense," Leitner said. "They were coming up with things every day that helped their case and weakened ours."

He said the decision was made after prosecutors, in preparation for the trial, evaluated the totality of the evidence they expected to come out in trial.

Paul Nugent, Stern's attorney, applauded the decision.

"Jeff Stern, his wife Yvonne and their children are relieved and grateful that their two-year nightmare is over," Nugent said. "As much stress and pain as the Stern family has gone through, justice has prevailed. The charges have all been dismissed, and they can go on with their lives."

He also noted that it took tremendous amount of resources to investigate Gaiser's story and other parts of the case.

"The way you find the truth is to dig and investigate and vigorously seek the truth," Nugent said. "It does cost money, and it does require resources to mount an adequate defense."

Plea deal off the table

Gaiser still faces charges of solicitation of capital murder. She was expected to plead guilty and testify against Stern in exchange for a 40-year cap on punishment.

That deal was taken off the table after the letter attributed to Gaiser surfaced last month. James Stafford, her attorney, declined to comment on the case.

Yvonne Stern survived a drive-by shooting and a second would-be hitman firing at her through the glass front door of the family's million-dollar mansion.

She was wounded when she was shot in the abdomen while in her SUV in a parking garage of an apartment the family moved to after the first two shootings.

Yvonne Stern 'grateful'

Yvonne Stern's attorney, Chip Lewis, said his client and her family are relieved that the burden of criminal charges has been lifted.

"She remains extremely grateful to the first responders and medical professionals who saved her life, and sincerely appreciates all of the hard work of the law enforcement officials who have worked tirelessly to bring the true perpetrators to justice," Lewis said in a statement.

brian.rogers@chron.com

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