Husband Found Guilty Of Shooting Wife After Birthday Party

DENVER, CO – A Denver District Court jury found a Denver man guilty of killing his wife in January, 2018.

Cain Wilkens, 44, was convicted Tuesday of second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Clarissa Wilkens, 30, the Denver County District Attorney's Office said. Wilkens had been charged with first-degree murder.

The shooting took place a few hours after a birthday party in the couple's apartment at in the 1500 block of South Albion Street. Cain Wilkens reportedly came into the building manager's office around 3:25 a.m. screaming that his wife had just killed herself, an arrest affidavit said.

Police found the body of Clarissa Wilkens in the apartment with a gunshot wound to the back of the head. They also found signs of a scuffle in the apartment, which was loaded with multiple guns.

According to the police affidavit, investigators found:

a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun inside a closed but unlocked safe. The firearm appeared to have blood near the front of the gun barrel, so it was collected as evidence. The detectives collected two unloaded shotguns, an unloaded .22 caliber rifle from inside the safe and an unloaded 40 caliber handgun that was on the floor just outside the safe. The detective also collected a spent 9mm shell casing on the floor to the south of the victim.

A witness told police he heard sounds of doors slamming, a woman screaming "no, no, no" and a man's voice yelling multiple times, "Get back here," the affidavit said.

Wilkens alleged in a statement to police that his wife had shot herself.

Police didn't believe him and arrested him. Prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder.

Wilkins is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 25, 2019.

Related: Denver Husband Claimed Wife Shot Herself In Gun-Filled Apartment

Image via Denver District Attorney's Office

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