Bridgeport Woman Sentenced to 30 Years in Murder for Hire Plot

A Bridgeport woman is headed to prison after she was sentenced today in a murder for hire plot that resulted in the 2012 death of a Lawrenceville man.

Helen Marie Westall of Bridgeport received 30 years in prison for Solicitation of Murder for Hire, that led to the death of her uncle, 78-year old Robert Westall of Lawrenceville. Westall pled guilty to the crime in January, a Class X Felony that carries a sentence of up to 40 years. In the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to a maximum sentence of 30 years, one that was handed down today by Judge Robert Hopkins on the 2nd anniversary of Robert Westall's death. Westall will be required to serve 85% of her sentence.

Prosecutors alleged that Westall hired Tyler McQueen of Mt. Carmel to kill Westall, with evidence that was obtained through the work of the State Police Special Investigations Unit, including that of Special Agent Tim Brown from Effingham. In May 2013, a jury found McQueen guilty of murdering Westall, who was stabbed more than 30 times in his cottage at the United Methodist Village, a senior retirement home in Lawrenceville. He was sent to prison for 50 years, and will serve 100% of his sentence.

During the trial of McQueen, testimony revealed that Robert Westall's niece, Helen Westfall, had disdain for him over allegations that he was physically abusive to her aunt, and hired McQueen to kill him. Prosecutors presented evidence that Westall agreed to pay McQueen $10,000 and a 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass to carry out the killing of Robert Westall.

We spoke with Lawrence County State's Attorney Chris Quick Tuesday, who praised Special Agent Brown's role in the investigation, saying "due to his work, we were able to prosecute this crime effectively."