Utah man arrested for murder after telling police he killed his wife of his own volition

The man told police she was in extreme pain and asked him to kill her.

A man was arrested on Saturday for allegedly shooting and killing his wife in Roy, claiming she asked him to because she was in extreme pain.

He also told police he killed her earlier in the week but waited about four days to report it.

Dave Meyer, 69, has been charged with murder over the death of his wife, as well as other charges related to the incident.

Police responded to Meyer’s home Saturday after emergency services indicated he had killed his wife. Officers took him into custody without incident, then searching the house found a woman dead. The victim was confirmed to be Meyer’s wife, according to court documents, but her name was not included in the report.

According to the arrest report, Meyer agreed to speak to police after being briefed on his Miranda rights. He said his wife had been in pain from a car accident for 11 years and he had seen her suffer from back pain and nerve damage for many years. He claimed she had “been asking him to kill her for some time because she was in so much pain.”

Meyer explained to investigators that one day he was rubbing his wife’s back when he saw his 9mm pistol on the dresser and shot her in the head. Police said he couldn’t remember exactly what day this happened, but they believe it was Tuesday.

Meyer said he then left her body in the room for several days before reporting the incident.

He was charged and ordered to be held without bail and was charged with first-degree murder and second-degree obstruction of justice for waiting several days to report his wife’s death.

He also told police that he and his wife had used marijuana every night for the past 10 years. Neither of them had medical marijuana cards. Police said this meant he was banned from firearms possession, so he also faces two charges of illegal firearms possession. He told police he possessed another pistol in addition to the one he allegedly used to kill his wife.

Editor’s note • Those who experience intimate partner violence, or know someone who has, are urged to contact the Utah Domestic Violence Link Line, 1-800-897-LINK (5465), or the Utah Rape and Sexual Assault Crisis Line, 1 -888 to call -421-1100.

If you or people you know are at risk of self-harm, call or text 988 to reach them Suicide & Crisis Lifelines 24 hour support.

This article is published by the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of Utah news organizations dedicated to educating readers across the state.