Michael Jace’s trial for murder continues on Friday with the judge’s summing up after evidence was presented during the last week. The man who acted as a police officer on television said he wanted to hurt his wife, instead of killing her. His 10-year-old son testified against him on Wednesday.
The actor played “Julien Lowe” on the television series “The Shield”. He told officers that he didn’t know his wife was dead after the shooting, according to a transcript of his interview with police investigators published by The Associated Press (AP), on Wednesday.
The 53-year-old actor added that he wanted to commit suicide with a revolver of his father-in-law. However, he was not “courageous enough” and decided to shoot at his wife instead. Jace’s lawyer Jamon Hicks said the man was upset because his wife had requested him a divorce.
“I was just angry. All I intended to do was shoot her in the leg. And then I shot her in the leg and that was it. I just ruined lives, four lives. I mean, you could put the needle in my arm right now and be done. I’m fine with that,” Jace told detectives, as reported by AP.
Jace’s wife received one shot in the back and two in the legs on May 19, 2014, according to evidence presented at the court. The event occurred in a hallway of the family’s home, where two kids of eight and five years old were present. He then called 911 and acknowledged the killing.
Prosecutors argued that Jace’s wife April Jace was cheating on him, although she denied the accusation in a text message sent to his husband before the murder. According to the transcript, the shooting occurred after April apparently heavily criticized Michael.
The actor reportedly started crying after a detective told him April was dead. She was a 40-year-old financial aid adviser at Biola University, according to AP. Deputy District Attorney Tannaz Mokayef said that April and her sons attended a baseball game, hours before she was killed.
Jace’s 10-year-old son has testified against him.
Nehemiah Jace, the 10-year-old son of Michael Jace, declared against his father on Wednesday. The boy told a jury that her mother was dragged into a hallway, where she was shot.
“If you like running, then run to heaven,” said the actor to his wife before shooting her, according to Nehemiah Jace.
Closing arguments of the case take place on Friday. Michael Jace could spend the next 50 years in prison if the court concludes he conducted a first-degree murder. The actor could also be convicted of voluntary manslaughter, as his attorney Jamon Hicks requested.
Hicks said that the case “is not about how it was done” since the actor has already accepted responsibility for the crime. Instead, the case is “about why it was done” added Kicks, according to AP. The jury is composed of six men and six women.
Source: The Associated Press