Man says he shot at wife to scare her, then fired another shot to 'wake' her up after she'd been hit and was unresponsive: Cops

Lawrence Neary shot his wife five times as she lay on her back in the closet following an argument that turned violent at their home in Missouri, cops say. (Ray County Jail)

A Missouri man is behind bars after he claimed to shoot at his wife to try to scare her but ended up hitting her five times and killing her, according to police.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol responded around 10:30 p.m. Saturday to a murder at a home in Lawson, a town about 40 miles northeast of Kansas City. The victim was found suffering from several gunshot wounds in her bedroom closet, according to a probable cause affidavit . Cops found five bullet casings near the victim’s body. The victim’s name is redacted from the affidavit, but local Fox affiliate WDAF identified her as 47-year-old Patty Neary.

Troopers took the victim’s husband, Lawrence Patrick Neary IV, into custody around 12:30 a.m. Sunday at another home. He gave his version of events in an interview with detectives. He allegedly said he and his wife had been arguing Saturday evening when she grabbed a gun from under his pillow, pointed it at him and told him to leave, but he refused. Lawrence Neary then grabbed control of the firearm, the affidavit said.

Lawrence Neary reportedly described how his wife tried to leave the home, but he prevented her from doing so. A scuffle ensued, and Patty Neary fell into the bedroom closet. The husband said he fired one shot “beside” his wife’s head to “scare” her, according to the affidavit. He allegedly claimed his wife “continued to verbally berate him,” so he fired another shot with the intent on hitting her hair or graze her skin. He said it was possible both shots hit her, and she started kicking him and grabbing the gun, which caused him to fire more shots at her, the affidavit said.

According to troopers, he told them he fired another shot at the top of her head, which caused her to “quit verbally berating” him. He then said he left the home through a window but realized he left his phone. When he returned, he said he could tell his wife was “fading,” so he fired another shot in an attempt to “wake” her up, the affidavit said.

After processing the scene, troopers determined he fired no warning shots or shots to wake her up. The evidence showed that he fired at her as she lay on her back in the closet, the affidavit said. Troopers arrested Lawrence Neary on a first-degree murder charge and took him to the Ray County Jail, where he remains without bond.

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