Opinion ID: 844231
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Commitment Offense

Text: Petitioner was 50 years old when he murdered his wife. [2] On January 24, 1987, his neighbor heard a gunshot between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. At 9:58 p.m., petitioner called 911. He was screaming and the call was cut off. Petitioner called back immediately and told the dispatcher that he and his wife had had a little fight and he shot her. She was dying and needed help. Petitioner said he had not known the gun was loaded. The dispatcher kept him on the telephone until police officers arrived at his house, then directed him to go outside with his hands in the air. The police arrested petitioner, entered the house, and found his wife Erma dead on the living room floor, with a cocked revolver lying nearby. An open box of ammunition rested on a table. The cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the neck, inflicted at close range. It was likely that petitioner was sitting and Erma was in the process of standing up or bending forward when he shot her. She had probably died within a second or two. Her body lay face up and was cold to the touch. Blood had partially dried on her face, neck, and head. Postmortem lividity, caused by pooling of the blood, had developed on the lower parts of her right leg and arm. The murder weapon could not be fired unless the hammer was manually cocked before the trigger was pulled. A transfer bar prevented accidental discharge by making the gun impossible to fire unless the trigger was pulled and held back. [3] The gun was in excellent working condition. Another handgun and three rifles were in the house. All the other guns were unloaded. Both petitioner and Erma had been drinking. Her blood-alcohol level was 0.22 percent. Petitioner was not tested initially because the officers did not think he was intoxicated. At 3:00 a.m., his blood-alcohol level was 0.14 percent. Petitioner presented evidence that the level could have been 0.24 percent at 10:00 p.m. Petitioner made a number of spontaneous statements while being guarded at the police station, among them: I dialed 911. I had the gun. It went off. And then went off again. I don't know why it went off. She was my baby. She said dial 911. At trial, two of petitioner's daughters testified about past incidents of domestic violence between the spouses, including a prior shooting incident. Erma's parents testified that when he was upset with Erma, petitioner would sometimes threaten to send her home in a box. They thought he was joking.