A Denver man accused of killing his wife while she was on the phone with 911 ate marijuana-infused candy before the shooting, according to a search warrant.
Kristine Kirk, 44, spent 12 to 13 minutes on the phone with a 911 dispatcher Monday night pleading for help because her husband was "talking about the end of the world," according to a probable cause statement. A gunshot was heard on the call before help arrived.
When police got to Kirk's house, they found her dead from a bullet to the head, and arrested her husband, Richard, 47. He faces first-degree murder charges.
Richard Kirk was heard in the background of the 911 call talking about having eaten marijuana candy, a search warrant affidavit released Thursday revealed. His wife told the 911 dispatcher he also had possibly taken some prescription medication for back pain, and was "totally hallucinating," scaring her three young children, documents said.
Kirk placed the 911 call at 9:31 p.m., initially telling the operator that there was a gun in the house, but that it was locked in the safe. Later in the call, Kirk started screaming when she saw her husband had gone to the safe. The sound of a single gunshot reverberated on the call, and Kirk wasn't heard again.
Police arrived about 15 minutes after the call was placed. The Denver police department is investigating its response time to the incident.
Nearly three hours earlier that evening, at 6:40 p.m., Richard Kirk had purchased marijuana candy from a medical/recreational marijuana dispenser in Denver, authorities said in the warrant. They found a receipt in his basement for "Karma Kandy Orange Ginger," edible marijuana candy, and "Pre 98 Bubba Kush Pre-Roll," a pre-rolled marijuana cigarette.
Police took a blood sample to determine whether Richard Kirk had taken drugs or medications. The results of that test have not yet been made public, but authorities said in the warrant that he "appeared to be under the influence of some type of controlled substance and/or prescription pill" based on his speech and pupil size.
Richard Kirk was "rambling to himself" while in the back seat of the police car, detectives said, and allegedly admitted to killing his wife.
His brother, Lance Kirk, told NBC affiliate 9 News in Denver that the tragedy "isn't explainable."
"He loved his kids, lived for his kids. He lived for his wife," he said. "He told me how much he loved her."
Recreational use of marijuana is legal in Colorado.