BILLINGS - A Billings man accused of murdering his wife was arraigned Friday.
Jesse Jon Strack, 44, appeared in Yellowstone County District Court after prosecutors upgraded a previous attempted deliberate homicide charge following the death of his wife six days after she was assaulted in the couple's home on Wyoming Avenue.
Strack is now charged with deliberate homicide. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf and bond was maintained at $500,000. He remains in the Yellowstone County jail.
Newly filed court documents state the victim, identified by the initials M.S., died on April 24 at a Billings hospital after being removed from life support. An autopsy determined the woman had trauma injuries throughout her body.
"M.S.'s fatal injuries included a large hematoma on her forehead and the back of her skull, as well as a damaged spinal chord, fractured neck, and a bisected carotid artery," court documents state.
The case began on April 18 when officers responded to the couple's residence for a report of an overdose victim. Officers found the woman in a basement bathroom next to a tub with the water running. She did not have a pulse and was not breathing, court records state.
Medical staff later told investigators the woman's injuries were consistent with an assault.
In a subsequent interview with police, Struck allegedly said his wife's injuries were most likely caused by a fall and that she had hit him several times.
Struck "then appeared to try to bargain" with a detective regarding what charges would be brought against him. Struck suggested the detective "could charge him with manslaughter," court records state.
Further investigation revealed the couple's residence had a home security system that captured video of the events inside just prior to police arriving.
The video clips "show the Defendant and M.S. fighting in the hours leading up to her death. In a video beginning at 11:20 hours, the Defendant and M.S. can be seen and heard arguing about M.S. not going somewhere with the Defendant and ordering an Uber instead.
Strack is heard at one point yelling at the woman, and he "pushes M.S. out of camera view. A brief scuffle can be heard, and M.S. appears back in camera and falls to the ground after the Defendant pushed or threw her. The Defendant can also be seen slapping M.S. and holding M.S. down with a raised fist."
Police also learned there was video footage that was deleted from the home security system and are working to recover that footage, court records state.
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