A retired Connecticut physician assistant has been charged with killing his wife after claiming she committed suicide in April, according to a report.
Richard Commaille, 70, surrendered to police Tuesday on a murder charge before being released on $500,000 bond. An arrest warrant affidavit in connection with the April 6 death at Commaille’s Redding home is sealed for 14 days, state police said in a news release.
Investigators did not identify the victim Tuesday, but police told the Connecticut Post that Commaille’s wife, Nanci, a 64-year-old registered nurse, was found dead from a gunshot wound in their home. A medical examiner ruled her death a homicide, the newspaper reports.
Commaille was arraigned Wednesday in Waterbury, where a judge approved his request to attend his daughter’s wedding on Saturday in Massachusetts.
Commaille’s attorney, Edward Gavin, told the newspaper his client “maintains his innocence” and gave a five-page statement to investigators after his wife’s death.
“This is a forensic case and we are anxiously waiting to get a copy of the autopsy report and related records,” Gavin said. “The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner initially stated the cause of death was undetermined and we need to understand why that has changed.”
Redding Police Chief Mark O’Donnell said the case started as an “untimely death investigation,” but changed as “some things didn’t make sense” to responding officers.
The investigation was handed over to Connecticut State Police, the newspaper reports.
State records cited by the newspaper show that Commaille has had a physician assistant license since 1993. He has since retired, while his wife has been a registered nurse since 1987, according to the report.