Court records unsealed in York County court on Wednesday are shedding new light on the case of a man accused of killing his wife at their Alfred home earlier this week.
James Crow, 40, made his first appearance at a York County court Wednesday. He only spoke once during his initial appearance at the York County Superior Court to say he understood the murder charge brought against him, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Crow attended the hearing over Zoom from York County Jail, where he is being held without bail.
York County sheriff’s deputies found the body of Kristan Crow at the couple’s Waterboro Road home at around 3 p.m. Monday while responding to a disturbance call. James Crow, who wasn’t at the home when police arrived, was arrested without incident at a gas station in Lyman an hour and a half later.
The state medical examiner ruled Kristan Crow’s death a homicide following an autopsy Tuesday.
Judge Richard Mulhern unsealed an affidavit from Maine State Police Detective Justin Huntley, which details the discovery of Kristan Crow’s body and interactions between James Crow and police, according to the Press Herald.
At one point during the police search for James Crow he told York County Sgt. David Chauvette over the phone that he “felt out of his body” and had not meant to kill his wife, according to the unsealed affidavit.
James Crow’s brother Justin Crow told the Portland newspaper that James had been experiencing depression and post-traumatic stress disorder for over a decade following his return from serving in Afghanistan.
A member of the Maine State police who responded to the scene Monday was aware of James Crow’s mental health history after responding to two previous service calls to the Crow’s home, court records say.
James Crow had filed for divorce two weeks ago citing irreconcilable differences, CBS 13 reported.
Following her death, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss four counts of wire fraud against Kristan Crow for allegedly stealing more than $400,000 from the Westbrook engineering firm where she worked from 2017 until September 2021.