Shelton man who said he accidentally shot wife arrested for manslaughter

SHELTON, Wash. -- A Mason County judge found probable cause Tuesday to hold a 68-year-old Shelton man who said he accidentally shot his wife while cleaning his pistol on a likely charge of manslaughter/domestic violence.

The judge set bail at $75,000 for Gary Crandell. Arraignment is set for March 30.

Gary Crandell told detectives he accidentally shot his wife, Jeannie, 67, in the chest while cleaning his pistol in the kitchen of their home Monday night.

In the arrest affidavit released Tuesday, the sheriff's office said that when deputies arrived, Gary was performing CPR on Jeannie and that after medics took over, he "smelled of the odor of intoxicants and was swaying as he walked."

Jeannie was pronounced dead at the scene with a gunshot wound to the chest.

Crandell provided a breath sample that showed a blood alcohol level of .101 -- over the legal limit to drive, the sheriff's affidavit said.

Crandell has never been in trouble with the law before, but detectives have serious questions about the death of his wife.

Crandell said in an interview with detectives that he was going to clean his .357 because he and his wife had discovered a window in their barn had been shot out a couple of nights earlier and they did not feel safe.

He also admitted that he and Jeannie had been arguing throughout the day about his handling of the barn shooting situation and problems with a disruptive neighbor, the affidavit said.

Gary said when the shooting in their house occurred Monday night, he was standing on one side of their kitchen island and his wife Jeannie was standing on the other side chopping vegetables for their dinner salad.

"Gary claimed that he had opened the cylinder of the pistol and he believed that he had removed all of the bullets," the affidavit said.

Only five bullets were found on the kitchen counter afterward.

"Gary denied intentionally shooting Jeannie intending on harming or killing her but he did admit to intentionally pulling the trigger of what he believed to be an unloaded firearm while it was pointed at his wife, which resulted in her death," the affidavit said.

“It’s an accident -- it’s not him intentionally going and killing someone,” defense attorney Peter Jones said.

Prosecutor Jason Richards on Tuesday had asked the judge for $100,000 bail,  telling the judge that Crandell acted knowingly and therefore is a danger to the community.

“Mr. Crandell is looking at significant time in prison if convicted,” Richards said.

Family members told Q13 FOX News on Tuesday they are not ready to talk about the tragedy but the couple's neighbors of more than a decade showed their grief.

“They were such a loving couple ... never saw them say a cross word to each other; they were always side by side, always gardening together,” Gail Robbins said.

Robbins says the two were like teenagers in love.