A Mississippi man was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison after admitting on the witness stand that he shot his wife and then dumped her body in a river, telling jurors, “She made me snap.”
Michael Owens, 37, of Edwards, was convicted of murder and arson this week by a Hinds County jury in connection with the brutal 2023 killing of his wife, Ebony Owens, whose body was discovered in the Big Black River after she went missing, according to police press releases. Ebony Owens’ “burned” vehicle was discovered near their home following the murder, prompting the arson charge.
“This trial, this case has been troubling to this court,” Hinds County Judge Faye Peterson stated before sentencing Owens on Monday, according to local ABC affiliate WAPT.
“Very seldom does a case trouble this particular judge,” Peterson said. “And yet, as I listened to the testimony in this case, the one word that went through my mind was selfish.”
During his trial, Owens reportedly told jurors that the couple was arguing when his wife reached for a gun, forcing him to shoot her. Investigators believe it was one of several stories Owens told following Ebony Owens’ initial disappearance.
“When I shot her, I said, ‘Baby, don’t die. Please do not leave me. “Don’t die,” Michael Owens said from the stand, according to WAPT.
“She made me snap,” he told the jury.
According to reports, Owens’ lawyers argued that Ebony Owens’ murder was a crime of passion, with insufficient evidence to prove Owens premeditated the killing.
“I just, I feared for my life,” Owens stated, according to NBC affiliate WLBT. “When I feared for my life, I simply grabbed my gun. When I pointed my gun back and she turned her head like this, I shot her. “I was so mad that I shot her in the head.”
Owens testified on the stand that he regrets what happened and that he and Ebony had a tumultuous relationship, with allegations of infidelity. The couple reportedly had four children together.
“A marriage is not easy,” he said, according to WAPT. “A marriage is whatever you make of it. Marriage is a job. “We had our ups and downs, our disagreements.”
