Man shot wife dead, then sat next to her body on the couch until police showed up, authorities say

A Massachusetts antheral is accused of shooting and sidesplitting his wife during a combat and past sitting connected the sofa with her assemblage arsenic constabulary responded to their home.

James Marsh, 64, has been charged with assault with a unsafe weapon, arsenic good arsenic battle and artillery with a unsafe limb causing superior bodily injury, per section quality outlets specified arsenic NBC's Boston affiliate WBTS. The chilling incidental took spot connected Friday, the time aft Christmas.

At astir 2:55 p.m. that day, Leominster constabulary officers arrived astatine a location connected Union Street successful the metropolis aft receiving a 911 call, the Worcester County District Attorney's Office said. An unidentified idiosyncratic called constabulary and gave the code of the location earlier rapidly hanging up the phone, according to Boston.com.

A constabulary supervisor authorized 2 officers to participate the location done an unlocked broadside door, and 1 of them "heard what she believed was a moaning dependable successful the residence and believed that idiosyncratic was successful aesculapian distress," tribunal documents stated.

As the serviceman continued inside, she saw a antheral sitting connected a sofa and holding a weapon successful her direction, Boston.com reported. There was different idiosyncratic connected the sofa who was motionless and covered with a blanket. Investigators aboriginal determined that the idiosyncratic was 62-year-old Ann Marsh.

"Gun!" the serviceman reportedly yelled arsenic she saw the suspect's gun. She retreated, and James Marsh barricaded himself successful the home, constabulary said. After much than 4 hours of trying to get him out, helium surrendered and was arrested.

Investigators entered the location and pronounced Ann Marsh dead. The suspect was successful tribunal connected Monday, wherever prosecutors maintained that "during an altercation with his woman astatine home, helium changeable and killed his wife," determination CBS affiliate WBZ reported.

Authorities described the decease arsenic home successful quality and said connected Sunday that it was inactive nether investigation. Marsh is owed backmost successful tribunal connected Friday, wherever the charges against him could beryllium upgraded.