A NORTH DAKOTA MAN KILLED HIS WIFE IN THEIR BATHTUB BEFORE TAKING THEIR CHILDREN TO DAYCARE

A West Fargo man who brutally beat his wife to death in their home in front of their children will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Cass County District Court Judge Nicholas Chase handed Spencer Moen a life term in prison without the possibility of parole for the beating death of 30-year-old Sonja Moen. After a five-day trial, a jury found Moen guilty and convicted him of Class AA Felony Murder, according to KXLG 99.1.

On Aug. 10, officers and EMT officials responded to the Mapleton home the couple shared after receiving a 911 call from the defendant. Upon arrival, they found Sonja’s body in the bathtub, and she was declared dead at the scene.

The violent altercation that led to the fatal incident stemmed from the 32-year-old Moen’s drinking escapade a day prior.   According to prosecutors, the defendant had been drinking the whole day while playing golf at a tournament and patronizing a brewery in Mapleton. After becoming a nuisance at the establishment and the bartender refusing to serve him more alcohol, Moen called his wife to get a ride home.

The next day, before calling 911, Moen took his children to daycare and then called Kristin Scofield, Sonja’s mother. An autopsy report indicated the victim’s cause of death was due to subdermal hemorrhage with a midline shift of the brain.

During the investigation, authorities found video footage on the defendant’s phone that showed Sonja lying on her side in the bathtub, still alive, making bubbling sounds before Moen shouted his wife’s name as the video went off.  

During the trial, the couple’s children testified they saw the defendant beat their mother. Nevertheless, Moen’s defense lawyer, Richard Varriano, argued Sonja had also been drinking while the couple were fighting, which caused a fatal blow to her head when she fell. As a result, Varriano asked the judge to sentence the defendant to 25 years while lifting a no-contact order imposed on Moen.

The judge disagreed!

"At some point, you could have called 911. I don't believe you woke up that morning intending to do that, but at the same time, it's reality to consider how many opportunities you had to just stop and call for help," said Chase during the sentencing hearing, reported Inforum.

Moen wept as he apologized to the family.