Crime & Safety

Bellevue Man Stands Trial in Wife's Hatchet Slaying

The adult children of a Bellevue man charged with murdering his wife with a hatchet last year testified to their father's violent past, according to an article in the Seattle Times.

Online:
Seattle Times (registration/subscription required): Man’s children testify against him in wife’s hatchet killing

James Schumacher, 72, walked into Bellevue Police Department headquarters March 23, 2012 and told police that he had killed his wife, Jean, two days before, Bellevue Police said last year.

Bellevue police officers found the body of Jean Schumacher, 71, under the bed at their home in the 100 block of 159th Avenue Southeast.

According to police, the couple had been married for 46 years, with two children who live in the greater Seattle area.

The couple had a history of domestic violence in their past, and Jean Schumacher had taken protection orders against her husband. Her adult children corroborated her claims. The 71-year-old suspect was retired from Boeing and U.S. Steel, each of 17 years, according to the Bellevue police department.

For past Bellevue Patch coverage of this case, click here.


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