CBS 48 Hours: Why did Louisiana millionaire Lawrence Michael Handley get his wife kidnapped and where is he now?

Lawrence Michael Handley, a millionaire from Louisiana, confessed to planning the abduction of his estranged wife, Schanda Handley, in 2017. Two kidnappers, allegedly hired by Lawrence abducted Schanda at gunpoint from her Lafayette home in the presence of her daughter and a neighbor.

The incident happened after the couple initiated divorce proceedings the same year. Lawrence claimed that Schanda was abusive and once recruited a hitman to kill him. However, Schanda said he snooped on her phone calls, computer files, and emails.

In July 2021, Michael Handley pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree kidnapping and one count of attempted second-degree kidnapping. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison in March and is likely serving time in prison at the moment.

On Saturday, 48 Hours of CBS will recount the case from accounts by Schanda, who always had her doubts about her millionaire husband Michael Handley. The episode, titled The Kindnapping of Schanda Handley, will air on October 22, 2022, at 10 pm ET.

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Michael Handley attempted to "win" estranged wife back by plotting her abduction

In August 2017, Lawrence Michael Handley reportedly hired two 27-year-old Mississippi men, Sylvester Bracey and Arsenio Haynes, abduct his wife.

It was claimed that Handley planned to have his wife kidnapped while he was under the influence of cocaine and methamphetamine for days. Sources state that it was an effort to "win her back," and that he intended to "come in as a hero" and save her, but failed.

Michael Handley's attorney Kevin Stockstill stated:

"It was certainly not logical thinking, but when you’re doing a lot of meth and cocaine, I guess it seemed rational to him. It turned out to be a terrible decision."

The kidnappers, pretending to be delivery men, showed up at Schanda Handely's doorstep and forced their way inside at gunpoint. They then handcuffed her, put a bag over her head, and threw her in the back of a van.

After driving off from the pick-up point, one of them stripped her naked and drugged her. They were tailed by an off-duty cop who was able to rescue the victim safely and right on time.

Upon discovering the failure of his plan, Michael Handley made the decision to flee. After a four-day long manhunt, authorities finally located him in a motel in Slidell, Louisiana. The event was described as "the most bizarre case."

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Handley convicted in connection to wife Schanda's 2017 kidnapping case

As Lawrence Michael Handley was being held in custody and prepped for trial, detectives started looking for proof of Handley's involvement in the kidnapping. Prior to August 6, his wife claimed that he installed a monitoring device on her phone and sent her a number of threatening texts.

Additionally, according to court records, Handley bought everything "necessary to kidnap, bind, torture, and abuse" her. The allegations that "the two men stripped, tortured and abused Mrs. Handley, including but not limited to threatening to rape and/or kill her" during the kidnapping were perhaps the most unsettling of all.

About four years after the incident, Michael agreed to a plea agreement on for two charges of attempted second-degree kidnapping and two counts of second-degree kidnapping. In March 2022, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison for hard labor. Reports state that he had two years before submitting an application for post-conviction relief.

Michael's attorney Stockstill said that they felt it was a "fair resolution of the case." As the attorney noted that Handley was able to accept responsibility, Stockstill said that the guilty plea would ensure that Schanda and her family wouldn't have to go through a trial, and relive the events.

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Learn more about Handley's involvement in wife's 2017 abduction on CBS 48 Hours this Saturday.