Fort Wayne man who alleged self-defense guilty in wife’s death

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A northeastern Indiana man has been convicted in the March slaying of his wife, whom he claimed he shot after she threw a knife at him.

An Allen County jury found David Carwile, 56, guilty Thursday of murder and use of a firearm in the shooting death of his wife at their Fort Wayne home.

Jurors heard evidence that Carwile had told an officer investigating his wife’s shooting, “I hope she dies,” The Journal Gazette reported.

Carwile, who is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 17, faces up to 65 years in prison, with the possibility of an additional 20 years for using a gun to commit the crime.

Police said Carwile, an antiques dealer who dealt in knives and other items, killed his wife, Joyce Carwile, 59, on March 19. He testified he was sitting on a living room couch next to a gun he kept in a remote control bag on the arm of the sofa when she threw a knife at him.

Carwile said that in self-defense he drew his gun with a shaking hand due to his multiple sclerosis and shot her in the chest.

When a Fort Wayne police officer investigating the shooting pulled Carwile’s car over about an hour later, Carwile’s bitter words about his wife were captured by the squad car’s recording system.

“Good, I hope she dies,” he said. “Take me downtown and lock me up.”

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