Children testify against father in Bellevue hatchet murder
May 30, 2013, 6:54 AM | Updated: 7:17 am
The grown children of a Bellevue man took the witness stand against him during his trial for killing his wife of 46 years.
James Schumacher, 72, is accused of hitting his wife Jean six times in the head with a hatchet and then hiding her body under a bed in their Bellevue home.
The couple’s son and daughter took the stand on Wednesday as witnesses for the prosecution.
The Seattle Times reports the two highlighted a lifetime of physical and verbal abuse by their father. They also testified that they never saw any symptoms of dementia in their father.
Schumacher is claiming diminished capacity because of early stage dementia.
He turned himself in after the killing.
