Rick Chance

Rick Chance was a Tempe, Arizona-based businessman, known throughout the western United States for founding and advertising Empire Auto Glass, an auto windshield replacement company that dominated the industry by offering free meals at local restaurants.

On August 9, 2002, Chance's body was discovered in a Tempe hotel room where he was fatally shot the night before. Several days later, police in Tacoma, Washington apprehended strippers Brandi Lynn Hungerford and Robert Donald Lemke II in connection with Chance's murder. The couple killed Chance while robbing him of a cache of jewelry worth over one million dollars.

While the media portrayed Rick Chance as a handsome success whose life was cut short, many felt his death was predestined or provoked by his lifestyle. While he was portrayed as a loyal "Christian" - Rick Chance was a devout mormon that allegedly forced his wife to prostrate on her knees in front of him while he read from "The Book of Mormon." His wife also hired an undercover officer by the name of Mike Valentine to kill her husband because she was tired of his abusive nature. She was then arrested.

Rick Chance's company had also seen it's share of lawsuits. One of their employees ran a red light injuring a soldier by the name of Zdravka Smircic at the Papago Military Installation. Her right hip was crushed, she suffered a concussion and trauma to her chest - ruining her career as a military journalist. Empire glass hid the fact that it was their employee and refused to allow service of court documents. The employee had tricked the officer at the scene into believing he didn't speak English. The employee later showed up to repair a soldier's windshield at the military installation. His true identity and employer were then discoved and Empire Glass settled out of court 3 years after the incident. The settlement was made just months before the sale of Empire Glass and Rick Chance's murder.

His death brought attention from media across the nation. Brandi Hungerford, pleaded guilty in exchange for second-degree murder, armed robbery and conspiracy charges. The former stripper was also sentenced to a concurrent 12 year term for robbery and conspiracy charges. On the murder change she was sentenced to 14 years in prison for her role in the murder of a Valley auto glass businessman.

In 2005, a jury found Robert Donald Lemke II guilty of theft and conspiracy to commit theft. However, jurors were hung on the murder charge.

On September 5, the former male stripper changed his plea to guilty of first-degree murder and admitted that he shot Chance in the chest during a robbery.

The 29-year-old was sentenced to life in prison on October 5 2005. The sentence will run concurrent with his 27-year sentence for theft and conspiracy to commit theft. Lemke has requested that he be transferred to the Washington State prison system.

As part of a plea agreement, he’ll be eligible for parole after serving 25 years.

References

*"The Death of a Salesman." Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice, TruTV (2008)
* [http://www.preciousgemstones.com/gffall02.html#gemt "Gem Thieves: Arizona Stripper In Jewel Robbery/Murder."] "The Gemstone Forecaster", Fall, 2002.
*Gribben, Mark. [http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/classics/rick_chance/1.html All about the Murder of Rick Chance]
*Miller, Carlos. "Multimillionaire found slain in Tempe hotel." "The Arizona Republic", Aug. 10, 2002.
*Kiefer, Michael. " [http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/0905lemke-ONL-CP.html "Lemke pleads guilty in auto-glass mogul's death."] "The Arizona Republic", Sept. 5, 2007.
*ABC15.com staff, wire reports. [http://www.abc15.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=cd8f50dc-4f63-4dc2-88d7-983b169f1292 "Valley woman sentenced for murder of Rick Chance."] "KNXV-TV ABC-15 Phoenix", 9/20/2007.,

External links

* [http://www.azcentral.com/ "The Arizona Republic"]
* [http://www.preciousgemstones.com/Forecasters.html "The Gemstone Forecaster"]