A man in Utah has admitted to smothering his wife to death to help ease her suffering amid a terminal battle with breast cancer.
DeWayne McCulla, 46, pleaded guilty on Thursday in 5th District Court to an amended charge of attempted manslaughter, a third-degree felony that comes with a domestic violence sentencing enhancement.
Arenda Lee McCulla, 47, died in December 2021, following her battle with breast cancer.
The night prior, a small group of family members gathered by her side in La Verkin as DeWayne reportedly "choke the victim in an attempt to kill her to ease her suffering while they were with her during her terminal cancer and being on hospice," according to court documents.
Arenda's cousin, along with several members of the family, pulled McCulla off his wife as he attempted to choke her to death.
Anthony Michael Ryder, Arenda's son, filed a complaint with La Verkin police in 2022 regarding the incident.
The La Verkin Police Department launched an investigation, and McCulla was initially charged with attempted murder in December 2023.
Ryder told KSL that he does not agree with the plea deal and hopes for the opportunity to address the court when McCulla is sentenced on December 12.
Arenda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, and by October 2021, the cancer had spread to her neck, brain, lungs, and liver and was considered terminal, Ryder previously wrote in a GoFundMe page.
