MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — A detective with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office has been arrested for allegedly killing his wife in Mesa.
John Byrd, 47, allegedly told police he got into an argument with his wife on July 31 and a "switch just flipped" in him that resulted in Byrd strangling his wife, court records show. The suspect then allegedly left the victim deceased in their bedroom and locked the door so their children would not see her.
Later that day, a friend of the victim reported the wife missing to police. When officers arrived at the family's home, they reported finding the wife deceased on the floor of a bedroom.
The suspect told police he "knew what he had done was wrong," records show.
In a statement, MCAO said the agency is in the process of ending Byrd's employment and that the Pinal County Attorney's Office will handle any charges Byrd may be prosecuted for.
According to a press release published by MCAO last year, Byrd previously worked as a detective with the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections and as an investigator for the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control.
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