CORNELIUS, N.C. -- The Cornelius postmaster charged with trying to have his ex-wife killed so she wouldn't get his retirement money pleaded not guilty Thursday, but he's going to stay in jail until his trial.

David Willis went before a federal judge while his terrified ex-wife listened in at the hearing.

“We’ve been in hiding for six weeks,” said April Willis. “We can go home now and not be afraid. We can get back to life, normal life.”

She said she’s been in protective custody with the FBI while they investigated her ex-husband, a 34 year veteran of the post office. Those investigations included several taped phone conversations between him and the friend he allegedly believed was going to help the 56-year-old kill the woman he’d been married to for 12 years.

David Willis

In one of the conversations Willis talked about using anti-freeze to kill her.

April Willis said it was tough to hear the calls in court Thursday morning.

“Unbelievable, crazy, like a bad dream,” she said. “Like this can't be me it’s happening to.”

US attorneys claim David Willis worried the conversations were being taped and patted down his friend, even threatened him.

But David Willis' defense attorney claims the government witness is mentally unstable and was institutionalized.

Deke Falls said, “We had information that at one time he had barricaded himself in his attic with no less than six firearms on him and was shooting out of his window and was shooting into the house of a highway patrolman.“

April Willis says because that witness helped the government instead of her ex-husband, she's still alive.

“He saved my life,” she said.