An elderly man was arrested and charged with the murder of his ex-wife, who had dementia, after they allegedly got into an argument over finances.
The Oak Lawn Police Department announced in a press release that the United States Marshals Service took Charles Buss into custody in Stone County, Missouri, on July 16. He was then extradited to Illinois, where he allegedly killed Maryanne Buss-Kincaid.
Oak Lawn police detectives conducted an investigation into the killing and presented the evidence to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Buss, 81, was then charged with first-degree murder on Thursday, July 30.
Assistant State’s Attorney Ebony Shanklin said that Buss has been accused of shooting Buss-Kincaid, 71, after they allegedly got into an argument over finances, per the Chicago Tribune.
Buss appeared in court on Friday, July 31, and a judge ordered that he be detained.
Authorities first learned of Buss-Kincaid’s death when police were dispatched to the crime scene on April 5 around 1:10 p.m. At the time, a caregiver found Buss-Kincaid “unresponsive” in her home. Upon their arrival, authorities evaluated Buss-Kincaid and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Buss-Kincaid’s death was ruled as a homicide after she was shot two times in the back of the head.
Police later identified Buss, who is a resident of Missouri, as the suspect and obtained his arrest warrant.
“Detectives learned that Buss had been in Oak Lawn during the timeframe of the incident and later returned to Missouri,” the police department’s press release said.
Prior to her death, Buss-Kincaid required in-depth medical care and daily assistance due to her health issues. Shanklin said during the July 31 hearing that Buss and Buss-Kincaid’s daughter was financially supporting her mother at the time of her death, while the prosecutor also said that Buss-Kincaid had dementia.
“The defendant had expressed concern recently regarding the cost of the victim’s care,” Shanklin said, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Meanwhile, Buss-Kincaid’s caretaker told police that Buss arrived at the victim’s home days before she was shot, per Patch. Buss also allegedly told the caregiver to not return for two days.
Shanklin claimed that Buss told Buss-Kincaid that he would “clean my hands of everything” while making a “hand-washing motion,” according to the caretaker.
Buss’ attorney, Matthew Chivari, said during the hearing that his client didn’t have a criminal record, while he also served in the Army and previously worked as a firefighter. Chivari also argued that the caretaker could have potentially committed the crime. However, the judge dismissed that idea, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Buss is next scheduled to appear in court on August 14, according to online jail records.
