A MONTANA man was murdered by his wife who looked up how to get away with it – a key piece of evidence gave her away.
Authorities found Bill Stout’s wife Anne Marie guilty after discovering a rubber glove with her DNA and gunshot residue during a three-week trial on the chilling crime of passion.
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Bill Stout was allegedly shot in the head with his own pistol while he slept on the night of June 9, 2007.
Authorities found that his gun had gone missing 10 days prior to his murder, and he had even reported it to the police, Dateline recounted.
Investigators later found Bill’s pistol stashed in his motorcycle saddlebag in his and Anne Marie’s garage at their Montana home.
Police also found a rubber glove during the investigation, which later became the key piece of evidence in finding the killer.
After they analyzed the glove, investigators found traces of Anne Marie’s DNA, and this made her the prime suspect in the case.
Anne Marie was charged with deliberate homicide a few weeks after Bill’s death, but prosecutors still had to gather a convincing amount of evidence to use against her.
MORE CLUES REVEALED
Investigators also found a suspicious note written in Anne Marie’s handwriting inside her bedside table.
The note explained how to use a gun, continuing to raise authorities’ suspicion.
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The final piece of evidence against Anne Marie was on a computer.
Police found an extensive search history researching ways to kill someone.
While all signs pointed to Anne Marie being the killer, more was to be revealed in this shocking case.
SHOCKING TWIST
After Anne Marie was accused of murdering her husband, it was revealed that Bill had been having an affair with a woman named Barbara Miller.
Anne Marie had found out about the affair, leading to obvious issues within the marriage.
On top of that, Barbara was allegedly pregnant with Bill’s child.
Barbara was apparently harassing Bill in letters and emails after the tryst.
The “other woman” also allegedly addressed Bill’s family and friends in her emails, causing harm to more people than just Bill, the Ravalli Republic reported.
Anne Marie apparently blamed Barbara’s harassment for influencing her actions.
However, investigators made a chilling discovery when they looked into Barbara’s emails.
Officials found that Anne Marie created a fake persona by using her work computer to harass her husband after finding out about his affair.
“You began a lengthy, really troubling campaign of vindictive, surreptitious attacks on Bill and not just directed to him, but your own children, family, and neighbors. Everybody important in Bill’s life,” said District Judge Jeffrey Langton during his sentencing.
With all of the evidence stacked against her, the jury decided to sentence Anne Marie to life in prison after just six hours of deliberation.
This sentencing took place a year after Bill’s death.
Anne Marie asked to see her children one last time after the life sentence, but the judge would not hear her plea.
“Your children will be deprived of your company,” Langton said. “It’s not because you’ve been convicted of the crime. It’s because you committed the crime.”
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