The Utah apartment complex where Brennan Dalton, 34, allegedly murdered his wife for being disrespectful and calling him a failure for being unemployed (Google Maps).
A Utah man says his wife was being disrespectful and calling him a failure after getting fired from his job — kicking him to the couch without a blanket — so he decided it would be "easier to kill his wife than himself," according to cops.
Utah County court officials tell Law&Crime that Brennan Dalton, 34, is charged with first-degree murder for allegedly strangling his wife to death early Wednesday morning after they put their 7-year-old daughter to bed and began arguing.
The couple was at their Lehi apartment and drinking when the fight started over a past incident that left him unemployed, according to court documents obtained by local ABC affiliate KTVX.
Dalton allegedly told police his wife, who has not been named publicly by cops, kicked him out of their bedroom and ordered him to sleep on their couch with no blanket because she didn't want him to be warm or comfortable, KTVX reports.
Tensions were exacerbated by Dalton's wife sitting on top of him and attempting to pull a hoodie off that he was wearing to keep warm, the angry husband said, noting how he "snapped" soon after, according to the court documents.
Dalton told police he was thinking about taking his own life, but decided "it would be easier to kill his wife than himself," per the documents. He allegedly said he wanted to suffocate and strangle the woman for weeks, so that's exactly what he did, according to the documents.
Dalton allegedly strangled his wife for about five minutes until she turned purple. He told police he sat back on the couch and watched as she struggled to breathe, according to the court documents.
Officers with the Lehi City Police Department responded to the residence around 2:15 a.m. after receiving a "report of a woman who had been strangled by her husband," a press release says. Dalton allegedly called 911 himself and told a dispatcher that he "freaked out and strangled his wife," KTVX reports.
"Upon arrival, officers found the woman unresponsive," the Lehi PD release recounts. "The husband was taken into custody following an interview and booked into the Utah County Jail."
According to KTVX, Dalton's wife was hospitalized and in the intensive care unit at a local medical center. She had severe brain damage and was expected to be taken off life support Wednesday.
Dalton is being held without bail. Utah County court officials tell Law&Crime that he is charged with murder, domestic violence in the presence of a child with strangulation or choking, and public intoxication. He was due to appear in court on Thursday afternoon.
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