A New Jersey woman has been charged with murder, accused of fatally shooting her husband, a figure in local Republican politics, on Christmas Day.
Hamilton Township police responded to a residence in the 5200 block of Mays Landing Somers Point Road on Sunday for a report of an injured man, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a release.
Officers found David B. Wigglesworth suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
His wife, Marylue Wigglesworth, 51, had called 911 saying she had been in a fight and told responding officers she shot her husband, The Press of Atlantic City newspaper reported, citing the arrest affidavit.
She was arrested in connection with his death and booked into the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
An autopsy determined that Wigglesworth died of a single gunshot wound and that the manner of his death was a homicide, prosecutors said.
Wigglesworth was active in supporting the Republican Party in New Jersey.
He previously served as president of the Planning Board in Hamilton Township and unsuccessfully ran as a Republican for the Township Committee in 2012, The Press reported.
Hamilton Township Republicans shared a tribute to him on Facebook, saying: “He was a dedicated member of the party and worked tirelessly to support many Republican campaigns over the years, including his own. We send our prayers to his son and his extended family.”
Wigglesworth had not entered a plea, according to online records.
Her attorneys, Jonathan E. Diego and Melissa Rosenblum, said in a statement: “A tragedy occurred on Christmas evening. Ms. Wigglesworth is innocent of the charge against her. … The facts of that heart-rending evening will unfold in a court of law, not the court of public opinion.”