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Mom of 4

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ANDERSON, Ind. -- A man fatally shot his wife in the head while her children were nearby Wednesday, then engaged in a two-hour standoff with police at his Anderson home before surrendering, authorities said.

Investigators believe Michael Achenbach shot Cynthia Achenbach, 24, at about 12:30 p.m. at or near his house in the 2000 block of Charles Street on Anderson's southeast side, authorities said.

Someone called police, and officers found the woman's body in the driveway. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.

Police said relatives took the woman's two uninjured children -- one of whom is 1 year old -- from the property shortly after the shooting and before officers arrived. It wasn't clear how the relatives got access to the children or whether the relatives were there during the shooting.

Officers surrounded the house, in which Michael Achenbach stayed alone for two hours, armed with a shotgun, authorities said.

Police were able to talk to Michael Achenbach, and at about 2:55 p.m., he exited the house and lay down on the front lawn. Video from 6News' helicopter shows officers marching to the lawn and handcuffing him before leading him to a police car.

"He was on the line with our hostage negotiator right up until the point where he handcuffed him and put him under arrest," Anderson police Detective Joel Sandefur told 6News' Jennifer Carmack.

Information on the other child's age wasn't immediately available. Though police said the children were at the property when the shooting happened, their exact location at the time of the shooting wasn't clear.

The shooting came more than two months after Michael Achenbach was arrested on suspicion of cutting his wife at Mounds Mall during an argument over a cell phone.

He was charged with criminal confinement and battery in connection with the Feb. 8 incident and was awaiting a resolution to that case.

Achenbach was being held Wednesday evening in the Madison County jail on a murder charge, authorities said.


Video taken after the two hour stand off

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/15969512/detail.html#
 
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35-year-old Michael Achenbach was sentenced to 60 years in prison for the shotgun slaying of his estranged wife.

“What can you say about a case like this?” said Jeff Lockwood, who along with Bryan Williams, defended Achenbach. “What a terrible tragedy. The justice system did what the justice system does. Hopefully, that will give the family closure, but there’s no mitigating the tragedy no matter what we do.”

Achenbach pleaded guilty but mentally ill Nov. 17, a day before jury selection was to begin in his murder trial. He faced 45 to 65 years in prison for the homicide. An autopsy determined Cynthia suffered three shotgun wounds, two to the back of the head and another to her back.

Carroll found that the aggravating factors surrounding the case outweighed the mitigating circumstances. The judge said Achenbach had a history of intimidating his wife. He was also out on bond in an unrelated case involving his wife when he shot her to death.

On Feb. 8, he was arrested outside Mounds Mall for criminal confinement, a Class B felony; battery by means of a deadly weapon, a Class C felony; and domestic battery, a Class A misdemeanor. The two fought over her cell phone in the parking lot, according to court documents. She suffered a minor cut to her wrist or forearm after he pulled out a folding knife during the encounter.

Another aggravating factor was the fact that the couple’s 5-year-old and infant daughters were inside the home when the shooting occurred, but did not witness the murder. The couple was living apart, and Cynthia dropped the girls off at Michael’s home so he could watch the children while she worked.

“(The 5-year-old) did know daddy shot her mommy and that her mommy was dead,” Lockwood said.

The defense attorneys argued that Achenbach deserved a 55-year sentence, with 10 years to be suspended. Lockwood said Achenbach’s mental illness and lack of criminal history should have been viewed as mitigating factors. A pair of psychological evaluations determined Achenbach suffers from bi-polar disorder, intermittent explosive disorder and a paranoid personality.

Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Eads, who represented the state with Chief Deputy Prosecutor Jim Nave, said he wanted 65 years against Achenbach, the maximum allowable.
 
“The 5-year-old) did know daddy shot her mommy and that her mommy was dead."

Damn. :sorry:

A shame cops didn't help him out of mortality.

I hope the children are having a loving upbringing together.
 
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