A Connecticut man is accused of killing his sick wife by beating her and leaving her in a bathtub to die, the Hartford Courant reported.
Enfield police say that 49-year-old John Dewees pushed his wife, who suffered from liver disease, into their home's bathtub after a night out drinking on May 20. He then punched her, carried her to bed and found her dead the next morning.
Dewees then wrapped his wife's body in a plastic cover and left her on the bedroom floor for two days, according to police. The husband said he was fed up with cooking, cleaning and caring for his bedridden wife.
"He said he did it because he was tired of changing diapers every day," according to the arrest warrant obtained by the Hartford Courant.
Dewees, who was honorably discharged from the Army, has since been charged with manslaughter in the death of 45-year-old Anja Dewees. He is being held on $175,000 bond.
John Dewees initially told police his wife hit her head on the back of the tub. Thinking she was injured, he put medicine on her bleeding wound and put her to bed.
"He got up Wednesday and knew Anja was dead but didn't want to call anyone because he wanted to stay with her a couple of days," according to the warrant.
But the army veteran later changed his story, adding that the two of them drank vodka and that her death was his fault. John told police he may have held his wife too high when he dropped her into the tub.
A medical examiner concluded that Anja, who was sick with liver disease for four years, suffered a bruise to the back of the head and had "numerous bruises over the body," the warrant said.
John changed his story again, admitting he punched Anja in the face as she lay in the tub, the newspaper reported. He then wrapped her body in plastic the next day to cover the smell. Police found the body on May 22.
John told police it was his wife's drinking that made her sick.
He is currently on suicide watch after slashing his wrists because he wanted to "be with his wife in heaven," WFSB-TV reported. John is scheduled to appear in court on June 10.
