Kansas Mom Could Not Afford Divorce, So She Murders Her Husband

Kansas mom Melanie Biggins wanted out of her nine-year marriage to Etienne McEwan, but when she couldn't afford a divorce, she decided to end the relationship by murdering her husband.

Biggins, 40, has been arraigned for first-degree murder following a police investigation into McEwan's death on August 31. The police responded to a 911 call at the couple's home at 1:00 a.m. to find the wife trying to do CPR on her husband, who was "lying on the bed in a pool of blood," per Law and Crime.

The Kansas mom, who has two kids with McEwan, said she woke up to the sound of a gunshot and turned to her husband's side of the bed. She told the police she did not see anyone and went downstairs, where the front door was allegedly left open.

The children, ages 10 and 11, also told the police that they saw their mom come down the stairs, and then she sat on the living room couch looking as if she saw a ghost. The 911 call was made by one of the kids.

Initially, the police determined that this was not a suicide, but they did not suspect Biggins as the shooter until investigators arrived at the crime scene.

Kansas mom insisted there was an intruder

As the investigators tried to put the pieces of the puzzle to Biggins' intruder theory, they discovered a pillow by the floor of the couple's bed, which appeared to have a bullet hole. Crime scene technicians also found a blanket with gunpowder burns and torn fabric.

The investigative team also recovered a .38 handgun in the next bedroom and empty cases of Charter Arms for the .38 on a top shelf in the couple's closet. Biggins denied knowing about the handgun and insisted that the intruder might have taken her husband's guns. She said McEwan also owned a rifle, which the police found safely locked in the closet. There was no indication of forced entry on their property.

When Biggins was brought to the police station, she changed her story and became inconsistent. As the police pressed on, she admitted that she bought the .38 in July 2022, but she did not know how it got into the other room, according to Oxygen.

Upon further probing, the police learned that Biggins had been having an affair for a year and a half and wanted to end her marriage to McEwan. She hesitated to file a divorce due to "financial struggles."

Biggins is currently held on a $250,000 bond at the Jackson County Jail. The mother is facing life imprisonment or the death penalty if convicted.

Mom jailed for 17 years for her husband's killing

Meanwhile, a mom from Harlow in the U.K. was sentenced to 17 years for stabbing and killing her husband. Rebecca Searing, 52, said that Paul Searing, 57, kept calling her worthless and useless. The judge, however, told Rebecca during her sentencing that the name-calling didn't justify the murder, per BBC.

Paul was described as a caring and kind man by his sister, who also said that Rebecca was a good nurse but not a good person. According to the local police, the couple had a complex relationship involving domestic violence. Their case highlighted how quickly this situation could escalate with serious consequences.