MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — A woman has been charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of her husband early Sunday morning inside their Grahamwood home.
Officers responded to an armed party call in the 800 block of Wrenwood Street just after 8 a.m.
They found Wesley Downey, 81, inside the home with multiple stab wounds when they arrived.
He told officers he and his wife, Sheila Downey, 68, got into an argument over the taste of his coffee, and she stabbed him when he tried to stop her from drinking bleach.
The victim told police he wanted to stop his wife from harming herself, which angered her more. He said she went into the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and stabbed him.
“He was just a really good person, and he always tried to help people, and it’s a shame he had to go that way,” said a neighbor.
A neighbor who did not want to be identified said Wesley went by the name Ray and was a retired Memphis Firefighter.
He said Sheila had been struggling with her mental health in recent years and sent his wife a strange text message about her husband’s health the morning of the stabbing.
“It raised some concern but we really didn’t know what had happened until we saw all the police arrived,” he said.
Officers also said his wife was not at the scene when they arrived but later returned and was taken into custody.
Downey is being charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bond.
She is expected to make her first appearance before a judge on Tuesday.
