Man accused of killing wife says he didn’t want her to die in a nursing home

FENTON, Mo. (KMOV/Gray News) – A Missouri man allegedly shot and killed his wife because he was exhausted from taking care of her, but he did not want her to die in a nursing home.

On Friday, the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged 73-year-old Kenneth Pautler with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.

He is being held without bond at the Jefferson County Jail.

According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, they were called to a home in Fenton around 2:15 p.m. Friday after a relative called to report the shooting.

When investigators arrived, Pautler met them at the front door and let them in.

Inside the home, investigators found the body of 75-year-old Karen Pautler on the floor of the bedroom with a wound to her lower back and upper arm.

Kenneth Pautler gave investigators the gun he used in the shooting, police said.

During an interview with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Kenneth Pautler told investigators his wife had mental health conditions, and in the past few days, he had become exhausted while trying to care for her.

He also told investigators that he decided he did not want his wife to die in a nursing home and decided to kill her instead.

“Kenneth advised he wanted the victim’s death to be humane, so he chose a specific cartridge for the firearm,” a sheriff’s office detective wrote in a probable cause statement. “Kenneth also stated he chose his shot placement to kill the victim as quick as possible.”

An initial court appearance for Kenneth Pautler has not yet been set.