A Lakeside man pleaded not guilty Thursday afternoon to one charge that he shot and killed his ex-wife inside their home Sunday evening before attempting to commit suicide from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Timothy Danielson, 63, is being held in custody without bail after he shot Ming Qi, 48, three times in the back as she ran away during an argument about the person she was dating, said Michael McCann, deputy district attorney.
Danielson then stood over Qi and fatally shot her in the back of the head with a .22 caliber scoped rifle, McCann said.
Authorities responded early Monday morning to 10328 New Bedford Ct. and found Qi's body upstairs. A family member received an email from Danielson saying that he killed Qi, sheriff’s deputies said.
Deputies found Danielson “minutes away from death” in an upstairs bathroom due to a suicide attempt, said Paul Pfingst, defense attorney. He added Danielson was in a coma at a hospital, and it took a hyperbaric chamber to remove the carbon monoxide from his system.
Danielson and Qi were married from 2006-2008 and lived in separate rooms of the Lakeside house, McCann said. He alleged that Danielson carried Qi’s body upstairs into his room before attempting to take his own life.
Danielson was neither cooperative nor responsive with deputies who came to detain him, McCann said, and he was shot with a Taser.
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Pfingst said Danielson has a clean criminal record without so much as a parking ticket, and “the circumstances here indicate there is a story that has to be told and will be told in court.”
“You will not find anyone in San Diego County who has more of a spotless background and is more highly regarded as being a kind and gentle person than Tim Danielson,” Pfingst said. “This episode not withstanding.”
Danielson faces one count of murder and a gun allegation, carrying 50 years to life exposure.
An Aug. 15 preliminary hearing was scheduled.
