A Virginia man cited his steroid abuse and addiction to Starbucks coffee as factors in the killing of his wife, his lawyer said Wednesday.
Philip Kingery, 48, pleaded guilty in Franklin County Circuit Court to second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Rose, The Roanoke Times reported. Defense Attorney Tony Anderson said the steroids and coffee caused Kingery to have "diminished capacity" at the time of the murder last year.
The slaying apparently followed ongoing arguments about whether Kingery should contact a child now an adult living in Florida who he fathered before marrying Rose, The Roanoke Times reported. Her body was found in a barrel inside a shed near the Kingery's Hardy home. She had been shot twice.
Kingery left the state after the slaying, surprising a woman he'd met online at the Indiana home where she lives with her husband, The Roanoke Times reported.
After his stop in Indiana he drove to several states including Illinois, Wisconsin and Wyoming, Hapgood said. Along the way he tried to throw off family and friends by sending text messages from his cell phone and his wife's cell phone saying they were vacationing in various places.
Kingery gave himself up to authorities in Missouri eight days after his wife's body was found.
Judge William Alexander sentenced Kingery to 40 years in prison on the second-degree murder charge but suspended 18 years. The judge also handed down a three-year sentence on a firearm charge.
