Jury deliberation begins for soldier accused of killing wife

TACOMA — The jury in a trial of a former Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier charged with killing his wife is set to begin deliberations.

KOMO-TV reports that attorneys for 21-year-old Skylar Nemetz admit that prosecutors have successfully proven the former soldier is guilty of manslaughter in the 2014 shooting of 19-year-old Tarrah “Danielle” Nemetz but dismiss the state’s assertion that he is guilty of premeditated murder.

Tarrah Nemetz was shot in the back of the head as she sat at a computer in the couple’s Lakewood, Washington, apartment.

Prosecutors allege that Nemetz shot his wife because he was upset that another man bought her liquor while he was away on a training operation. Nemetz and his attorney say the AR-15 rifle went off while he was clearing the chamber.

The jury is set to begin deliberations Wednesday.

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