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Marylue Wigglesworth, 53, submitted a guilty plea on Tuesday, June 4 for second-degree manslaughter, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. She had been indicted for murder on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, 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 and an autopsy ruled his death was a homicide caused by one gunshot wound.
During her guilty plea, Marylue Wigglesworth 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 Wigglesworth 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 Wigglesworth 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.
Prosecutors said the recommended state prison sentence for Marylue Wigglesworth is six years. She would have to serve more than five years before being eligible for parole.
Marylue Wigglesworth was scheduled for sentencing on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
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