Man charged with murder in wife's death
Deliberate homicide charges were filed Monday against Lawrence Frederick Roedel in
the shooting death of his wife.
Deliberate homicide charges were filed Monday against Lawrence Frederick Roedel in the shooting death of his wife.
District Judge Ted Lympus set bond for Roedel at $1 million.
Roedel was arrested after calling 911 on Saturday night, saying he had shot and possibly killed his common-law wife, Dawn Thompson.
She was found dead at the bottom of a stairway in their home at 26 Shady Lane in Ferndale. She had been shot once in the back and there was evidence that two other shots had been fired from a .357-caliber semi-automatic revolver.
Roedel was arrested and was initially charged with negligent homicide.
On Monday, County Attorney Ed Corrigan increased the charge to deliberate homicide, which carries a penalty of up to 100 years or life in prison.
"We didn't find his story to be credible," Corrigan said.
Roedel reportedly said the shooting was accidental.
No physical evidence supported that, Corrigan said.
According to documents Corrigan filed Monday, sheriff's detectives determined that Roedel fired three shots as he stood at or near the top of a stairway. The first two shots struck and passed through a wall; the third struck her in the back, killing her, the document says.
"There is no indication what ignited this," Corrigan said.
Three of the couple's five children were home during the shooting, but none witnessed it, he said.
Johnson, 36, worked for the U.S. Postal Service, Corrigan said. Roedel, 66, is retired.
He was charged earlier this year with cruelty to animals after someone reported a dog with its mouth duct-taped shut in a vehicle parked at Wal-Mart. Roedel was found innocent.
He also was reportedly accused of sexual assault in 1985. That charge apparently was not pursued by prosecutors.
An arraignment for Roedel is scheduled Sept. 15 in District Court.
Reporter Chery Sabol may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at csabol@dailyinterlake.com