No charges for Yakima woman in husband’s shooting death

Associated Press

YAKIMA – A Yakima woman will not be charged in the death of her husband, prosecutors said.

Yakima County Prosecutor Joe Brusic announced this week they will consider all additional evidence that is submitted, but based on the facts before them, no charges will be filed, the Yakima-Herald Republic reported.

Police found the woman’s 51-year-old husband in bed with a gunshot wound to his head on Aug. 19.

Her lawyers have said she was a victim of domestic violence perpetrated by him.

She told police in the days before the shooting, her husband had imprisoned her inside her home and had drugged her.

The woman’s bail was set at $25,000 during a court appearance last week. She was released Monday.

She was a victim of domestic violence and had a protection order against her husband at the time of the shooting, defense attorney Beth Wehrkamp said.

Brusic cited the couple’s history and other factors in his decision not to seek charges.

“After a full and fair consideration of all the current facts and analysis of their relationship as well as the familial history, it is clear that the decedent’s volatility would lead a reasonable juror to conclude that (his wife) acted in self-defense,” Brusic said.