Judge: Husband Will Stand Trial In Shooting Death Of Wife
DENVER (CBS4)- A judge has ruled there is enough evidence for a man accused of killing his wife in Denver's Observatory Park neighborhood to stand trial. The preliminary hearing for Richard Kirk was Friday afternoon.
Kristine Kirk was shot and killed April 14 while on the phone with a 911 dispatcher.
The judge said that her husband, Richard, was able to go to a safe, remember the combination and grab a gun. She said for those reasons, a jury should decide his fate.
Police have said Kristine, 44, pleaded in the 911 call for authorities to hurry and send officers because her husband had asked her to get a gun and shoot him.
She said Richard, 48, was hallucinating and talking about the end of the world after having marijuana-infused candy and possibly pain pills, according to police reports.
As the call continued, Kristine Kirk frantically told a 911 call-taker that her husband was getting a gun from a safe. Within a few seconds, the call-taker could hear her screaming. There was a single gunshot before the line went quiet.
During the hearing, a detective testified that the Kirk family told them the couple had financial issues, about $40,000 in debt and owed the IRS about $2,000.
The family also said the Kirks were very family oriented.
The lead detective said that when officers arrived at the Kirk home, two of their children ran outside and another one was inside his room.
Richard allegedly told the officer that he was "the most powerful person in the church of Latter Day Saints" and that he just killed his wife.
Some of the evidence found inside the home included an empty prescription bottle of hydrocodone, a partially-consumed 100mg marijuana edible candy and an marijuana cigarette that had not been smoked.
The Kirk's 7-year-old son told police that his dad came into his room afterwards and told him "he had to kill dad so he and mom could be together with God."
The children also told police they had never seen their dad behave the way he did that night.
The detective also testified that the only drug found in Richard's system was THC. The levels were low but officers stressed that the effects of marijuana can vary from person to person.
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