PERRY COUNTY, Pa. — A Pennsylvania woman has been charged with her husband’s murder in 1987.
Carl Jarvis’ body was discovered on Aug. 10, 1987, with a gunshot wound to the back of his head, according to the Pennsylvania State Police per WHTM.
The Perry County District Attorney Lauren Eichelberger said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference, that Judith Jarvis, now 76, was arrested on Tuesday for murder and was denied bail, according to PennLive.
Carl Jarvis’ wife, Judith Jarvis, had reportedly made a domestic dispute call just after midnight. She told troopers that her husband was reportedly breaking things and she was scared. Troopers tried to make contact with Carl Jarvis but were unable to locate him, according to WHTM. He was later found inside a bedroom naked between a bed with the gunshot wound.
According to PennLive, the state police said that no one was at the Jarvis house the evening Carl Jarvis was found dead besides Carl and Judith.
The Perry County Coroner Michael Shalonis determined that Carl Jarvis was shot in the head with a .22-caliber revolver that had a two-inch trigger guard, according to PennLive. That revolver was found at the scene. An affidavit obtained by PennLive said that the bullet went through the back of his head and out the front.
A forensic pathologist examined Carl Jarvis’ body and found that the victim was incapable of voluntary movement after his brain trauma, according to WPMT.
The case went cold and it wasn’t until 2019 that Troopers Kyle Tobin and Trisha Campbell were assigned to the case. They resubmitted the blood evidence from Judith Jarvis’ pajamas in 2020, according to PennLive. Investigators obtained Carl Jarvis’ hair and were able to match his DNA to the blood on Judith Jarvis’ pajamas, state police said, according to PennLive.
According to WHTM, Judith Jarvis claimed the blood on her pajamas was a goose bite.
In 2021, Judith Jarvis was interviewed by troopers and allegedly claimed that the blood on her pajamas was hers, according to WHTM. She also allegedly told them that she did not kill her husband.
No further information has been released.
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