A Fenton-area man has been charged for allegedly shooting and killing his wife on April 25. He told investigators his wife suffered from mental health issues and that he did not want her to die in a nursing home, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Kenneth P. Pautler, 73, has been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the shooting death of his wife, Karen Pautler, 75, at their home on Frontier Trail in the Jefferson County portion of Fenton, the report said.
According to Missouri state statutes, first-degree murder is a class A felony punishable by either death or life imprisonment without eligibility for probation, parole or release except by act of the governor. Armed criminal action is an unclassified felony and carries a penalty of three to 15 years in prison.
The Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to the Pautlers’ home at about 2:15 p.m. April 25 after a relative of Kennth Pautler reported the shooting death. When deputies arrived at the home, Kenneth Pautler was cooperative and showed investigators where the gun was inside the house.
Pautler allegedly told deputies he had become “exhausted” caring for his wife but did not want her to die in a nursing home. He decided it would be more “humane” to shoot her instead, according to the probable-cause statement in the case.
As of Monday, Kenneth Pautler was being held without bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, according to jail records.