Wendy Alston is the mistress of investment banker Jim Harris and associate of strip club owner Andy Polone. Alston passed on to Palone great stock market info Harris confided in her, resulting in them buying out valuable stocks. One of Polone’s employees, college student Leslie Cavanaugh, used this to blackmail Harris to join his firm, so Polone, and presumably Alston, sent two gangsters to her dorm room to rape and kill her.
The gangsters and three conspirators were all tried for Leslie’s murder, but Harris was singled out to receive immunity in exchange for testifying against Alston and Polone. Alston’s lawyer set Harris off on the stand, resulting in a mistrial with double jeopardy attached. As all three could still be tried for conspiracy to commit murder, they took pleas and also gave up the gangsters.
Alston pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to ten years in prison. (L&O: “High & Low”)