Man charged with attempted murder after choking terminally ill wife in front of her family to ‘ease her suffering’
Chelsea Connor
Featured Image Credit: GoFundMe/Arenda Lee McCulla/Facebook
Content warning: Article contains content some readers may find upsetting
A Utah man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly trying to end the life of his sick wife in front of her family.
DeWayne McCulla, 45, allegedly tried to kill his terminally ill wife, Arenda Lee McCulla, 47, in an attempt to 'ease her suffering' after she was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2020.
The alleged attempted murder is said to have taken place on the night of December 20, 2021.
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DeWayne was with Arenda 'while they were with her during her terminal cancer and being on hospice', according to documents obtained by KSL.
DeWayne, who married Arenda in 2020, admitted to ‘placing his hand over her neck’ in front of six family members who reportedly tried to pull him off his wife as she ‘gasped for air’.
A La Verkin police officer recalled DeWayne's alleged unsettling confession, saying: ''During the conversation with DeWayne McCulla, he admitted to placing his hand over the victim Arenda’s neck in an attempt to ease her suffering as she was dying from cancer and was on hospice.
“He said this was all stopped by family members who observed what he was doing and pulled him off of her.”
DeWayne reportedly told responding officers that 'he would do this again because he loved his wife'.
Andrea was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020. It later spread to her brain, lungs and liver, before eventually becoming terminal.
She underwent several rounds of radiation in an attempt to overcome the fatal disease.
Her son, Anthony Ryder, explained she had '3600mg of Chemotherapy daily for 2 weeks on 1 week off it only extended her life for a few months; if you can call it living'.
Andrea received the treatment from October 2021 until her death.
“Radiation burns that it caused open sores and blisters in her throat making it impossible to eat, so much so she went almost an entire week not being able to eat anything but an Ensure Shake. These are the cruelties of breast cancer,” according to the December 14, 2021 update on Andrea’s condition.
The following night of the alleged crime, Andrea passed away from the long-term illness.
DeWayne was charged on Wednesday (December 13) in 5th District Court with attempted murder, a first-degree felony.
If found guilty, he would face 15 years to life in jail, as ruled by state law.