A Denver District Court jury found Cain Wilkens, 44, guilty of second-degree murder Tuesday after a five-day trial. He was convicted for killing his wife, Clarissa Wilkens, 30.
The couple hosted a birthday party on Jan. 20 in their Virginia Village apartment, according to an arrest affidavit. Police found Clarissa dead at 3:26 a.m. the next morning, with a bullet in the back of her head.
Cain told authorities that his wife had killed herself, but the Denver medical examiner found no evidence, such as soot and stippling, to indicate a close-contact wound, the affidavit states. Clarissa had no blood on her hands consistent with a self-inflicted wound, either. Police did find a 9-millimeter bullet casing and a Smith and Wesson 9-millimeter handgun, placed in an unlocked safe, with blood on it.
A neighbor reported hearing a woman screaming, "No, no, no" and a man saying, "Get back here" around the time of the shooting, the affidavit states.
Cain Wilkens faces up to 48 years imprisonment with a minimum sentence of eight years, said Ken Lane, a spokesman for the Office of the Denver District Attorney. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 25.
