A Utah man was reportedly charged Wednesday with the attempted murder of his terminally ill wife, who currently resides in hospice care.
DeWayne McCulla, 45, of La Verkin, Utah, stands accused of trying to choke his wife, Arenda Lee McCulla, 47, to death in front of her family at a hospice care facility in December 2021, according to KSL. Arenda McCulla died the following night after a lengthy battle against breast cancer.
Six different family members were present when McCulla allegedly started choking his wife and only realized what he was doing when she started gasping for air, documents obtained by the outlet claim. All six members helped pull McCulla away from his wife.
Southern Utah man charged with trying to kill terminally ill wife to ease her suffering
Link: https://t.co/DpF41FLfkB
— KSL (@KSLcom) December 15, 2023
“During the conversation with DeWayne, he admitted to placing his hand over the victim Arenda’s neck in an attempt to ease her suffering as she was dying from cancer and was on hospice,” a La Verkin police officer said in the charges. “He said this was all stopped by family members who observed what he was doing and pulled him off of her.” (RELATED: Bodybuilder Allegedly Murdered Ex-Wife, Incinerated Her Body In Backyard)
McCulla allegedly said “he would do this again because he loved his wife,” the outlet noted. It’s unclear why local law enforcement and others waited two full years before pressing any charges.