73-year-old man found guilty of murdering wife

KELSO, Wash. (AP) – A Cowlitz County jury has found a 73-year-old man guilty of strangling his wife to death.

The Daily News reports a jury deliberated for about two hours Thursday before finding Cleon Moen guilty of first-degree murder death of 58-year-old Michelle Moen.

Michelle Moen died in September 2015 from strangulation and was found with ax wounds to the head. Moen then tried to kill himself by carbon monoxide poisoning.

Prosecutors said a previous domestic violence charge brought against Cleon Moen by his wife resulted in a hung jury and that the charge angered him, providing the motive for the killing.

A lawyer for Cleon Moen argued his client didn’t have the mental capacity to carry out a premeditated murder. His sentencing was set for next week.