A man from Southern Utah confessed to investigators that he attempted to kill his terminally ill wife two years ago in an attempt to ease her suffering, and now facing charges of attempted murder. It remains unclear why charges were filed nearly two years after Arenda’s death.
However, DeWayne McCulla of Hurricane, 45, was charged on Wednesday with attempted murder, a first-degree felony. According to the police, he confessed to placing his hand over his wife’s neck, trying to choke her.
In an affidavit, relatives reported to the police that McCulla tried to choke his wife on December 20, 2021, while she was in hospice.
According to a report, the woman’s son filed a report with police in 2022 about McCulla’s actions.
The investigators spoke with six witnesses and claimed that they pulled McCulla off of his wife after they saw her gasping for air. A La Verkin police officer called McCulla after his wife’s death to get his version of what happened.
According to the interview, McCulla admitted to placing his hand over the victim’s neck in an attempt to make her passing quicker as she was dying from cancer and was in hospice. DeWayne said he would do this again because he loved his wife.
According to the woman’s son, her wish was to be transported to Oregon where she could take advantage of the state’s Death with Dignity Act, which allows terminally ill patients to end their lives with self-administered lethal medications.
The son also mentioned that before the alleged choking, McCulla had been arguing with his grandmother and “fighting about ending” her mother’s life, “which caused a lot of yelling. He also expressed desires of other ways to end her life which I found suspicious as her wishes were for her to be transported to … Oregon.”
Moreover, the son revealed that his mother and McCulla had marital problems in the past, including the month that led up to her initial cancer diagnosis.
“The loss of my mother and the traumatic event surrounding it left quite an imprint on my psyche as DeWayne was manipulating things behind the scenes, using guilt,” he said.
McCulla could face up to life in prison as he is convicted of the first-degree attempted murder charge.
Other POP! stories that you might like:
Former FIFTY FIFTY members reportedly sued for US$99.7 million by Korean agency ATTRAKT
Vatican allows priests to bless same-sex relationships
Bondee CEO responds to talks about the company’s links to China and the app’s relaunch
‘It’s not rock ‘n’ roll’: Former KISS member mocks late band’s future with digital avatars
The Catholic Church now allows preserving fragment of a deceased’s cremated ashes
