An Oklahoma man is in jail after reportedly shooting his wife in the face with a 12-gauge shotgun, then claiming she committed suicide.
Bradley Frye, 31, is charged with first-degree murder for the death of his wife, Sara Frye. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit acquired by Law&Crime, Bradley Frye ran to his neighbor’s house soon after 9:30 p.m. on Friday and informed them that his wife had shot herself at their home in the 400 block of E. Beech Street in Tecumseh, an Oklahoma City suburb.
“When the officers arrived, the scene looked like everything other than a suicide,” Tecumseh police Chief JR Kidney told local NBC station KFOR.
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To begin, there looked to be a fight at the house, according to police. A kitchen table was broken in two as if someone had thrown it. Other broken things were also found throughout the house, according to the complaint. Frye created at least two stories concerning his wife’s death.
First, he claimed he walked into a room and saw his wife pull the shotgun trigger. But as detectives were about to test him for gunshot residue on his hands, he changed his story and claimed he and his wife were arguing over the shotgun when it went off, killing her, cops noted.
“Immediately our officers notified our investigator who came to the scene and agreed that this did not look like a suicide,” Kidney was quoted by the television network.
According to the affidavit, cops found her journal, in which she stated that she intended to leave her spouse because he was “treating her poorly.”
Detectives also spoke with Sara Frye’s father, who reportedly recounted their marital issues. According to the affidavit, things had grown so severe that the Frye children were removed from the home for their safety. Sara Frye’s father stated that he intended to stay at home that night to defuse the issue. He stated he thought his son-in-law had calmed down sufficiently for him to leave to get some flea treatment for the dog and eat at Taco Bell, according to police. When he arrived home, he discovered that all the cops had responded to the shooting.
Bradley Frye is also accused of using petroleum jelly to fill his wife’s facial wound. Cops escorted him to the police station, where he declined to provide a statement and requested a lawyer.
According to Law&crime‘s video from the scene, the home featured a sign with a picture of a gun that read “WARNING: Trespassers will be shot.” “Survivors will be shot again.”
According to authorities, he is a diagnosed schizophrenic who was drinking the night in question. He is currently being held at the Pottawatomie County Jail without bond. His next court date is slated for September 30.