Husband Pleads Guilty To Homicide After Running Over Wife In Airport Parking Lot

That father who fatally ran over his wife in the airport parking lot — with their son still in the car — has pleaded guilty.

Shawn Christopher Sturgeon accepted the charges — one count each of criminal homicide/automobile homicide and domestic violence in the presence of a child in court on Monday. Although he was initially charged with second-degree felony manslaughter, that was dismissed following the guilty plea, KSL reports.

As we previously reported, Shawn was arrested after he drunkenly ran over his wife, Charlotte Sturgeon at the Salt Lake City International Airport back in April. According to reports, the couple got into an argument while packing their bags into the car after returning from a family vacation. Surveillance footage obtained by Fox13 showed that during the incident, the 38-year-old father had placed their child in the backseat of the vehicle and entered the driver’s side while his wife stood in the open rear passenger side.

He then suddenly reversed and stopped the car, causing Charlotte to lose balance. That is when Shawn drove backward again, this time hitting the gas. In the video, the poor woman’s legs could be seen flailing around while he continued to reverse. She was quickly dragged underneath the car. But Shawn did not stop there…

Court documents claimed that he put the vehicle into drive and accelerated forward over the 29-year-old mom’s body with the right rear passenger tire. One witness told police she could hear Charlotte being run over while she was “yelling and screaming.” She then claimed Shawn got out of the car to ask his wife “why she just did that” before shouting:

“Now I have to take you to the emergency room.”

Salt Lake City police shared in a statement that Shawn proceeded to drive “with his wife critically injured inside, to the airport parking payment booths where he asked for help.” When law enforcement arrived at the scene, they claimed that the dad told them that “I ran my wife over,” “I killed my wife,” and “I accidentally ran her over.” First responders also told the outlet that he “smelled strongly of alcohol and had glassy bloodshot eyes.” His blood-alcohol level ended up being three times over the legal limit at the time.

Charlotte was still breathing when paramedics arrived. She was rushed to the local hospital but later died of her injuries. And now it seems their son will grow up without his father as well, as he is facing serious prison time. Such a tragedy.

We’ll have to wait and see what happens next in his case after his sentencing hearing September 9.

[Image via Fox13/YouTube]