Husband claims wife shot herself in the head, police now say it was murder

A 55-year-old Washington man called police to report his wife shot himself. But, after an investigation, detectives now say he has been charged with murder.

Around 11 p.m. on Jan. 18, officers responded to a call at a residence in Spokane, Washington, about a reported suicide, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said.

According to the caller, 55-year-old Dean M. Ayers, his wife shot herself in the head, officials said.

First responders arrived and the victim was still alive and taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. She later died at the hospital, police said.

Officials said they spoke with Ayers and started to look at the evidence at the scene. However, they started to notice several inconsistencies and became suspicious the victim did not actually commit suicide.

An autopsy was completed and those results were compared to the evidence found at the scene and the statements made by Ayers. Because of that, probable cause was developed to arrest Ayers for the murder of his wife, officials said.

Around 1:15 p.m. on Jan. 20, Ayers was arrested at his home without incident, officials said.

He was booked into the Spokane County Jail on the second-degree murder charge, according to authorities.