Missouri man shot wife several times in the face, called 911 after an hour: charges

A 27-year-old man is charged with murder after he allegedly shot his wife several times in the face at close range in their Clinton, Missouri home, according to court documents.

Henry County prosecutors charged Ryan Wayne Alexander with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of his wife, Ashton Christine Alexander, on Sunday evening.

According to court documents, Ryan Alexander allegedly called 911 around 6:15 p.m. Sunday and reported that he shot his wife at their home in the 400 block of East Louise Avenue.

Responding officers searched the residence and found his wife’s body inside the front door along along a living room wall. Detectives obtained a search warrant and found that she had at least seven gunshot wounds to her face. She also had gun powder burns, indicating that she had been shot at close range, according to court documents.

A metal vent and air duck underneath her head was damaged, indicating that she was shot at least once in the face while she was lying on her back, according to court documents.

Alexander allegedly shot his wife with a 9 mm Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol, which carries eight rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. Police found four shell casings around his wife’s body and five shell casings in a kitchen trash can.

A witness told police that prior to the shooting, Alexander left his home and drove away like a “bat out of hell, like they had been fighting.” He was gone for a few moments before he returned. Shortly after seeing him enter the home, the neighbor said he heard gun shots.

Audio from a neighbor’s video indicated the shots were fired around 5 p.m. Alexander didn’t call 911 until more than an hour later, according to court documents.

When a detective spoke with Alexander, he had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. Alexander refused a field sobriety test and breath test. He also declined to answer questions without an attorney.