A man who had claimed his wife had committed suicide in 2016 has now been charged with reckless homicide in connection with her death.
James Radford was charged with first-degree reckless homicide on April 11, nine years after his wife's death in Shawano County, as reported by WSAW.
Radford Claimed He Found His Wife Cheating on Him, She Committed Suicide After He Told Her He was Leaving Her
According to a criminal complaint obtained by the outlet, Radford claimed in 2016 his wife, Sabrina Radford, had cheated on him and he told her he was leaving her. Radford then told authorities Sabrina said, "I am not going to live without you."
She then put a gun to her chest and pulled the trigger with her thumb. Radford said he found bodily fluids on the couch as proof of his wife's infidelity.
Evidence Contradicted Radford's Claim
The criminal complaint, however, indicates the evidence did not support Radford's story. The couch where Radford claims to have found bodily fluids was examined by Shawano County Sheriff's Department and Wisconsin Crime Lab, but no bodily fluids were found.
The complaint states Radford said Sabrina had both hands on the gun when she fired the bullet into her chest. According to the complaint, when the victim was found by paramedics and law enforcement, she had her hand cupped as if she was holding a phone. The phone was found next to the cupped hand, the complaint states, indicating she was holding her phone, but it makes it impossible for her to be holding the gun with both hands when she shot herself.
Text Messages Reveal Radford was Threatening Sabrina if She Saw Another Man
The complaint also states the phone at the scene, belonging to Sabrina was downloaded and authorities found she was texting that Radford was threatening her if she sees another man. This text was on February 16, 2016.
Authorities also examined the gun, the complaint states, and the Wisconsin Crime Lab found there was no blood or blowback material on the barrel or muzzle of the gun. The lead detective alleges in the complaint that based on his training and experience, blood and blowback material should be on the muzzle of the gun if it was touching or close to Sabrina when the gun was fired at her chest.
Investigator Says Radford Admits to Shooting His Wife in 911 Call
In analyzing the 911 call made by Radford, at 1 minute and 31 seconds into the phone call, he states "I can't believe ? (unintelligible) shot her". The detective in the complaint said he believes Radford says "I."
The criminal complaint doesn't explain the nine-year gap between the incident and Radford's arrest. Online court records show Radford was booked into Shawano County Jail on April 15. A court hearing the following day shows a cash bond was set at $800,000. His next court hearing is a status conference scheduled for June 9.
