Politics & Government

Former Libertyville Trustee Accused of Plotting Murder of Wife Dies

Donald L. Coulson died at the age of 80.

An 80-year-old former Libertyville trustee — who spent time as a Libertyville and Grayslake resident and also spent time in prison for accusations he hired a detective to kill his wife in 1994 — died Friday in a Wheaton nursing home, according to the Daily Herald. 

Donald L. Coulson, a Libertyville village board trustee from 1989 to 1993, was arrested in April 1994 after he was videotaped arranging the murder of his wife, Arlene, with a man who, unknown to Coulson, was a Lake County Sheriff's Office undercover detective, according to the Daily Herald. 

Coulson was sentenced to seven years in prison for the crime, according to the article. 

Coulson is survived by his wife, Arlene; three children; and five grandchildren, according to his obituary. Coulson was awarded a silver star and purple heart for his service in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and is a past commander of Libertyville American Legion Post #329, according to his obituary. 

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A visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday at the Burnett-Dane Funeral Home Ltd., 120 W. Park Ave. in Libertyville, according to Burnett-Dane Funeral Home website. 

Friends and family will meet at the funeral home on Wednesday before proceeding to Lakeside Cemetery at 11 a.m. Wednesday for a graveside service with military honors, according to the funeral home website. 

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