Man says wife's shotgun death was accident

February 26, 2009 10:41 pm

— BEDFORD (AP) — A western Pennsylvania man accused of killing his estranged wife with a shotgun outside the McDonald's restaurant where she worked says it was an accident.
Bedford County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for 38-year-old John Lewis Gerholt. The Mount Union man is charged with first-degree murder in the Nov. 9 death of 24-year-old Karen Marie Gerhold. The shooting happened near Everett, which is about 90 miles east-southeast of Pittsburgh.
Defense lawyer Thomas Dickey said after Thursday's arraignment that the defense can show the shooting was an accident, but he would not offer specifics.