ROGERS - A 75-year-old Rogers woman remained in the Benton County jail Sunday without bail on capital-murder charges in connection with the shooting death of her husband Paul, 74.
Myrtle Marie Walter told police she was "at her wit's end" and decided to shoot her husband because he wanted sex and was mentally abusive, according to an affidavit.
Walter told police that after drinking four or five beers Friday evening at her home, she took a gun box out of a nightstand beside her husband and went in the bathroom to see if the gun was loaded. She returned to the bedroom and, in the dark, shot three times, aiming at her husband's head, the affidavit states.
Police found a silver .357-caliber revolver on the bed where Walter told them it would be.
The report states Paul Walter's face was grazed by one round, with the other two striking him in the shoulder and neck area.
Myrtle Walter told police she was sorry for what she had done but was relieved her husband was gone.
Police learned of the shooting after responding to a 911 call at 2:35 a.m.
Saturday made by Laura Tucker, Myrtle Walter's daughter.
Myrtle Walter spoke to detectives after waiving her right to an attorney, the affidavit states.
Walter's neighbor Virgil Hamilton said Sunday that harsh words for her husband were common with Myrtle Walter.
Hamilton said he saw Myrtle Walter once a week at the Adult Wellness Center, where they would talk. She would often complain about always having to make meals for her husband, he said.
Hamilton has lived on the same street as the Walters for 11 years. At least once a week Paul Walter would wash one of his five cars.
They called him Mr. Clean, Hamilton said.
Paul Walter considered himself the patriarch of the neighborhood, Hamilton said.
In front of the Walter home at 1105 12th Place an American Flag hung at half-staff, with an Arkansas flag atop a pole next to it.
The well-maintained yard was landscaped and a recreational vehicle was parked behind a tall fence.
A sign in the front yard read "this property is protected by an armed guard three nights perweek : you guess what three nights."
Down the street neighbor Alice Mote described Myrtle Walter as "pleasant and nice."
Mote and her family have lived in the quiet neighborhood for 29 years. The Walters were there first, she said.
If there were any signs of abuse, Mote said she never saw any. Myrtle Walter never gave any indication, or showed any signs of domestic violence.
Mote said she didn't know them well and would visit when they were on the street, or driving by. She said Paul Walter was pleasant, retired and interested in the neighborhood.
Paul Walter liked to talk about how the neighborhood looked, whose house was for sale and things of that nature, Mote said.
She said she knew the couple had grown children and grandchildren and offered her sympathy to them.
It's strange to have something like this happen in such a peaceful place, Mote said. "It's very sad."
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 10/06/2008