DeWayne McCulla: Utah man charged with attempted murder for choking cancer-stricken wife to 'ease her suffering'
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH: DeWayne McCulla, a 45-year-old Utah man, has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly trying to choke his terminally ill wife, Arenda Lee McCulla, 47, as she battled the final stages of breast cancer.
The incident occurred while Arenda was under hospice care, and McCulla purportedly sought to "ease her suffering," as per Daily Mail.
Arenda Lee McCulla's tragic battle with breast cancer
Arenda's battle with breast cancer, initially diagnosed in 2020, took a devastating turn as the disease spread to her brain, neck, liver, and lungs.
At 47, she succumbed to her battle with breast cancer on December 21, 2021, following an arduous journey involving multiple rounds of radiation and chemotherapy.
The shocking details of the attempted murder came to light as McCulla was arrested and charged on Wednesday, December 13, in the 5th District Court. According to charging documents, McCulla allegedly "choked the victim" in the presence of six family members and had to be physically restrained.
When questioned by police, he reportedly declared that "he would do this again because he loved his wife." The motive behind the delayed charges filed two years after Arenda's death remains unclear.
Who was Arenda Lee McCulla?
Arenda, a vibrant member of the local community known for her love of mountain biking, relocated from New York to southern Utah in 2005. She volunteered at a youth rehabilitation center and, in January 2020, married McCulla.
Days before her passing, her son Anthony Ryder shared heartbreaking details on a GoFundMe page, describing the intense pain and trauma his mother endured during her final months. Nevertheless, an emotional obituary written by Ryder paid tribute to his mother as his "first best friend," highlighting the profound impact she had on their lives.
"We lost a wife, mother, sister, and friend. We had a wonderful best friend, side kick, and was the brightest in the room. One who never had the chance to grow old," he stated. "She was my first love, my first friend, and my first enemy. During this whole process I’ve been trying to find the words for something lost," he said.
