The story of a wealthy Charleston banker, his assistant, and a murder-for-hire plot that targeted his wife sounds like something from a Hollywood script. But for Nancy Latham, now known as Nancy Cannon, it was a terrifying reality that nearly cost her her life. The case, which has been featured extensively on Dateline NBC in both a two-hour episode titled “The Charleston Affair” and a six-part podcast series called “Murder & Magnolias,” continues to captivate true crime audiences. The core question many viewers still ask is simple: Were Wendy Moore and Chris Latham actually involved in planning to kill Nancy?
The short answer is yes. Both were convicted by a federal jury in 2014 for their roles in the plot. However, the degree of their involvement and the specific charges they were found guilty of tell a more complex story about a love affair gone terribly wrong.
How the Murder-for-Hire Plot Was Discovered
The scheme unraveled in April 2013 not because of a brilliant detective, but because of a routine traffic stop and a drug-seeking accomplice who decided to talk. Police in Charleston pulled over Aaron Wilkinson. Instead of simply dealing with a traffic violation, Wilkinson quickly told officers about a murder plot he was involved in that had not yet been carried out.
Wilkinson explained that he had traveled from Kentucky to South Carolina with his former prison cellmate, Samuel Yenawine. Yenawine was the ex-husband of Wendy Moore. Wilkinson initially thought they were going to buy drugs, but Yenawine later revealed their true mission: to kill a woman he described as a witness in a racketeering case. That woman was actually Nancy Latham, the estranged wife of wealthy banker Chris Latham.
Once in Charleston, a woman met the men at a motel, rented them a room, and provided them with $5,000 in cash. That woman was Wendy Moore. In a subsequent meeting, Yenawine received a manila envelope that investigators would later call the “hit packet.”
The Hit Packet: Evidence That Linked Moore and Latham
The contents of the hit packet provided the most damning evidence against the couple. Inside the envelope, investigators found printed maps with handwritten notes, personal information about Nancy and her family, details about her daily schedule and routine, photographs of Nancy’s residence and her vehicle, and even a photo of her daughter.
Forensic analysis tied this evidence directly to both defendants. The handwriting on some of the notes was matched to Wendy Moore. A photograph of Nancy’s house was traced back to Chris Latham’s personal cell phone. Other items in the packet were linked to activity on the office computers and individual printers used by Latham and Moore at the bank where they worked.
The Recorded Jailhouse Calls
Adding to the mountain of evidence were dozens of recorded phone calls made by Wendy Moore from the detention center. After her arrest, Moore made countless collect calls, and they were mostly to Chris Latham. While the conversations were often filled with affectionate language, investigators heard something else beneath the surface.
ATF Special Agent Joe Boykin, who worked the case, described the calls as more than just expressions of love. He said they were also about “conniving and scheming.” The calls revealed that Latham was helping to cover legal costs for Samuel Yenawine, the man hired to kill his wife. Prosecutors argued this was an effort to keep Yenawine from cooperating with authorities. Nancy later told Dateline that her husband never once reached out to their daughters after the plot became public, which she found telling.
Chris Latham’s Defense and Claims of Innocence
Throughout the investigation and trial, Chris Latham maintained he had nothing to do with any plan to harm his wife. At his sentencing, he made his position very clear. “I want to be crystal clear,” he told the court. “I am 100% innocent.” His defense strategy centered on the idea that Wendy Moore had acted alone. Latham’s attorneys pointed out that he was a successful banking executive with too much to lose, arguing that the real mastermind was Moore, who they portrayed as a jealous mistress desperate to hold onto her wealthy boyfriend.
Latham’s team also highlighted that he was only charged with using interstate commerce facilities. They tried to separate him from the more serious conspiracy charges. However, the evidence showed that maps in the hit packet came from his computer and photos from his phone, making it difficult for jurors to believe he was completely in the dark.
The Jury’s Verdicts on Both Defendants
In February 2014, after a nine-day trial that included testimony from more than 50 witnesses, the jury delivered mixed but decisive verdicts. Wendy Moore was found guilty on all four counts against her: conspiracy to use interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder for hire, solicitation of murder for hire, the use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder for hire, and illegal possession of a firearm in relation to a violent crime.
The case against Chris Latham was more complicated for the jury. Jurors could not reach a unanimous decision on the conspiracy charge or the firearm charge. However, they did unanimously find him guilty of one count: aiding and abetting in the use of interstate commerce facilities (the travel prong) in the commission of murder for hire.
Juror interviews after the trial revealed the deliberation process. Some jurors believed Latham knew about the plot and did nothing to stop it, even if he didn’t actively orchestrate every detail. Others pointed out that Moore had access to all of Latham’s passwords and could have acted without his direct knowledge. In the end, the evidence showing Latham’s phone contained photos of Nancy’s house and that he helped fund legal fees for the conspirators was enough to convict him on the aiding and abetting charge.
The Prison Sentences and Appeals Process
In 2014, the judge handed down the sentences. Wendy Moore, then 39, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. Chris Latham, 52 at the time, received a 10-year sentence.
The pair immediately appealed their convictions. Their legal team argued that the trial judge gave improper jury instructions that broadened the charges against them. Specifically, they claimed the judge mentioned the “facilities prong” of the murder-for-hire statute when they were only indicted under the “travel prong.” They also argued that the court improperly admitted hearsay evidence from Samuel Yenawine’s cellmate, Tyler Lee Tudor, who testified about Yenawine’s jailhouse confessions before his suicide.
In January 2016, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld both convictions. The appeals court found that the jury instructions, when viewed in their entirety, did not confuse the jurors or allow them to convict on uncharged offenses. The court also ruled that Yenawine’s statements to his cellmate were trustworthy and properly admitted as statements against interest.
The Meeting Between Nancy and Aaron Wilkinson
One of the most talked-about moments in the entire saga came after the trial, when Nancy Cannon met face-to-face with Aaron Wilkinson in jail. The meeting, captured on video for a Dateline interview, showed the intended victim embracing the man who was supposed to kill her. Nancy thanked Wilkinson for coming forward to police, acknowledging that the outcome could have been very different without his confession. Wilkinson, visibly emotional, stood and accepted her gratitude, a moment of unexpected grace in a story filled with betrayal.
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Where Are Wendy Moore and Chris Latham Now
Wendy Moore remains in federal custody. Her projected release date, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, is September 8, 2025. She is currently incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center in Carswell, Texas, a facility that provides medical and mental health care for female inmates.
Chris Latham was released from federal prison on August 19, 2022. He served his time at Federal Correctional Institution Butner Medium I in North Carolina. Upon his release, he was transferred to home confinement for a period before completing his sentence. His return to society has been quiet, with no public statements or interviews since his release.
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