A terrifying 13-minute call to 911 ended in cold-blooded murder when 44-year-old Kristine Kirk was shot in the head by her husband, Richard Kirk. The Colorado wife and mother of three called cops to report that her husband was hallucinating, talking about the end of the world, and begging her to shoot him. A dispatcher stayed on the line with her for a full 13 minutes before Kristine announced that Richard had gone to get his gun from a safe. The next thing heard was the sound of Kristine screaming followed by a gun shot.
When police arrived at the family's house, it was too late. Kristine was found dead and her husband quickly confessed to killing his wife. Kirk was held without bail and faces first-degree murder charges.
There's some speculation that Kirk may have been under the influence of marijuana or some other drug at the time of the murder. It's possible the pot connection is being made based on the fact that it's now legal to use the drug in Colorado.
It's unclear whether Kirk himself claimed he was using drugs or if cops found evidence in the house of drug use. Either way, it will be interesting to see if a judge even considers this as an excuse for murder. There certainly aren't many cases I can think of in which a pot smoker committed such a heinous crime while under the influence, but it's anyone's guess right now what actually happened.
Another aspect of this horrible crime that's up in the air: did police do all they could to prevent this from happening? It seems like 13 minutes is a long time to spend speaking over the phone with a woman who is completely freaking out and outright telling you her husband has a gun and is unstable. Denver police promised to look into this and vowed to tell the truth, even if that meant they were in some way responsible for what happened. So I guess we'll have to hang tight for more news on that front.
A more important thing to think about right now is what will happen to the couple's three young sons? They're going to have to live with the reality that someone they trusted completely murdered the most important person in their lives. Let's hope they have loving relatives who will watch over them and help address their needs during this insanely difficult time.
What do you think caused this man to murder his wife? Do you blame police for not responding to the call sooner?
Image via Milica Sekulic/Flickr