In the early evening of March 18, 2015, a calm and steady voice on a 911 call in Topeka, Kansas, delivered a chilling message: "I just killed my wife." On the other end of the line was Colin Edward Pritchard, and the woman he was referring to was his 51-year-old former wife, Cindy Pritchard, a White female. When asked what he meant, he clarified that he had shot her in the head.
This call set in motion the investigation into the violent end of a troubled relationship.
Cindy Pritchard was found in the front room of the residence, having died from a single gunshot wound to the head. An autopsy would later reveal that the muzzle of the gun was pressed against her skin when it was fired, indicating a contact wound. Colin Pritchard told detectives that he and Cindy had divorced due to her struggles with alcoholism and that she could be mean and abusive when she drank. They had been living together again for a short time before her death.
Colin Pritchard was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of his ex-wife. During his trial, he claimed the shooting was an accident that occurred as he tried to wrestle the gun away from an intoxicated Cindy. However, his calm demeanor during the 911 call, where he admitted to picking up the gun and shooting her because she was a "mean drunk," was presented to the jury.
Ultimately, the jury rejected his claims of an accidental shooting. In June 2016, Colin Edward Pritchard was convicted of intentional second-degree murder in the death of Cindy Pritchard. The court sentenced him to 165 months in prison for the crime. The tragic event cut short the life of a mother of seven, whose children testified that she was not a violent person.
