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Marylue Wigglesworth, 53, was sentenced on Tuesday, Aug. 20 to six years in state prison, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release on Thursday, Aug. 22. She pleaded guilty on Tuesday, June 4 to second-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of 57-year-old David Wigglesworth.
Hamilton Township police found David Wigglesworth with a gunshot wound at the home on the 5200 block of Mays Landing-Somers Point Road at around 10:19 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy ruled David Wigglesworth's death was a homicide caused by one gunshot wound. Marylue Wigglesworth was indicted for murder on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.
While pleading guilty, Marylue said she and her husband got into an argument before the shooting. She said her husband "physically assaulted" her and threatened her with a gun he kept in their bedroom.
Investigators said after the threat, Marylue shot David with the gun. Officers investigating the killing found significant bruising on Marylue's body "consistent with being the victim of an assault."
The defense argued Marylue acted in self-defense but prosecutors said David was watching TV while naked in bed when he was shot, the New York Post reported. The defense also reportedly said Marylue admitted to police at least six times that she killed her husband during a fight.
According to his obituary, David Wigglesworth graduated from Oakcrest High School in 1984 and was a journeyman electrician with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 351 for 35 years. He was also active in local politics and supported campaigns as a member of the Township of Hamilton Republican Party.
Marylue Wigglesworth will have to serve more than five years before she's eligible for parole under the No Early Release Act.
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