Murder Suspect Says Wife Asked Him to Shoot Her

"Hello … I just shot my wife." That's how Ernest Chris Chumbley introduced himself to a 911 operator yesterday morning. "Give me police. I'm under arrest," he said, according to a tape obtained by WKYT. Sure enough, police arrived to find his wife Virginia dead, and took a compliant Chumbley into custody. "She died from my shots, but it's not murder," the Kentucky man said, explaining that she'd asked him to shoot her because she was suffering from breast cancer.

"She told me she wanted me to end her pain. I said, 'Jay, all I’ve got is what the doctor gave you.' She said 'no, I want you to stop my pain for good,'" Chumbley said. "I just did what she asked. And I would expect no different from her if I was asking." He's been charged with murder anyway, and has pleaded not guilty. He's in jail on a $200,000 bond. Neighbors say the two had a loving marriage, and tell LEX18 that they believe his story. "The only reason I could think he shot her is she probably asked him to, because she was hurting so bad," one said. (More murder stories.)