A 73-year-old Missouri man is in prison after allegedly shooting his wife to death because he was “exhausted” from caring for her and did not want her to die in a nursing facility.
Kenneth Pautler is accused of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of his 75-year-old wife, Karen Pautler. According to a press release from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded around 2:15 p.m. Friday to a home on Frontier Lane in Fenton, a suburb of St. Louis.
When they arrived, Kenneth Pautler greeted them and invited them inside. Karen Pautler was found dead in a bedroom from a gunshot wound. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by local CBS affiliate KMOV and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the suspect surrendered the gun and admitted to shooting her. He allegedly stated that in recent days he had become “exhausted” from caring for his wife, who had mental health issues, and that he did not want her to die in a nursing home.
According to police, he made the decision to kill her early Friday.
“Kenneth advised he wanted the victim’s death to be humane, so he chose a specific cartridge for the firearm,” detectives allegedly stated in the affidavit. “Kenneth also stated he chose his shot placement to kill the victim as quick as possible.”
Cops stated that they did not expect the defendant to appear in court because he had stated several times that he “no longer wants to live, and he wants to end his life so he can be with the victim.”
Kenneth Pautler remains in the Jefferson County Jail. It is unclear whether he has a lawyer or when he will next appear in court.
