He Didn't Kill Her

Prosecutors dismissed a murder charge against a man who had been accused of shooting his wife at their Carlsbad apartment, according to a published report.

Mark Statham, who had been in jail since April 21, 2008, was released on Nov. 1, 2009, and prosecutors dropped their charge against him on Jan. 7 after three of four experts determined the shooting was a suicide, Deputy District Attorney Keith Watanabe told the North County Times this week.

Laurie Statham, 47, was rushed to the hospital from her Chinquapin Avenue apartment on April 17, 2008, with a rifle wound to the forehead. She died the next day.

Her husband, Mark Statham, then 39, was not arrested because police believed the shooting was a suicide, Carlsbad police said at the time. But a few days later, the medical examiner ruled someone else shot Laurie Statham with a .22-caliber rifle, and her husband was arrested.

Steve Walker, a spokesman for the district attorney's office, said charges could be brought against Statham in the future, though Watanabe would not comment on whether that was likely.