A Utah man admitted to trying to kill his wife while she was in hospice care dying from breast cancer so he could "ease her suffering."
Authorities said 46-year-old DeWayne McCulla pleaded guilty last week to attempted manslaughter for choking his wife 47-year-old Arenda Lee McCulla.
It all started when Arenda was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer in 2020. A year later, the cancer spread to her brain, lungs and liver and was considered terminal, according to a GoFundMe page. She was then placed in hospice care at her home.
As previously reported, In Dec. 2021, DeWayne choked Arenda in an attempt to kill her to rid her of her suffering. At that time, other family members who observed what he was doing were able to pull DeWayne off of her.
Arenda died the following day. "She didn't die with dignity," Anthony Ryder, Arenda McCulla's son said, according to KFVS12.
Ryder filed a complaint with police in 2022 about DeWayne's actions. Police launched an investigation and the 46-year-old man admitted to choking her.
DeWayne told investigators that "he would do this again because he loved his wife." He was originally charged with attempted murder in December 2023, but he pleaded guilty to attempted manslaughter.
