NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) - A Virginia man is accused of shooting and killing his wheelchair-bound wife, and a judge has ordered him held without bond, authorities said.
Brian Keith Patterson, 58, is charged with second-degree murder and using a firearm in a felony in the death of Princess Chapman, 86, who was found dead last Friday in the dining room at the couple’s home, the Daily Press of Newport News reported on Wednesday.
Patterson called 911 and said “he just shot his wife,” according to a criminal complaint filed by a sheriff’s office investigator in York-Poquoson Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.
The emergency dispatcher asked Patterson why he shot her, and he replied, “It was complicated,” according to the complaint.
Deputies arrived at the home and saw Patterson standing outside, holding his phone. As he was detained, deputies went inside and found Chapman. Investigators said she had been shot in the face.
York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Capt. Troy Lyons said Tuesday that Patterson didn’t give any statements to investigators other than the brief one to the 911 operator. Lyons said investigators haven’t determined a motive for the shooting.
Patterson is being held at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail. He appeared by video conference Tuesday before York Juvenile and Domestic Relations Judge Wade Bowie, who ordered him held without bond.
Patterson told the judge he hired lawyer Gregory Sheldon to represent him. Sheldon didn’t immediately respond to a phone call on Wednesday seeking comment on his client’s case.
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