An actor from the popular TV show ‘Shield’, Michael Jace was accused and is now under murder trial for the death of his wife last year. The trial began Monday morning in Los Angeles according to a prosecutor involved in the case. The hearing is set to further explore the unknown details of the event. Since Jace allegedly confessed murdering his wife, April Jace, on a 911 call made by the actor after presumably shooting her.
Michael Jace performed as a police officer, Julien Lowe, in The Shield show. He has been part of the cast of Forrest Gump, Planet of the Apes, The Replacements and The Great White Hype. He also starred the movie Michael Jordan called ‘An American Hero’ and co-starred State of Play with Russell Crowe.
The shooting
Police reports claim that Michael Jace shot April Jace in the back while their children watched, around 8:30pm. Right after he called the 911 to report the homicide, admitting to the operator he had murdered his wife. Jace made a call to his father-in-law to pick up the children shortly after that.
The initial response from the LA Police Department was considering a domestic violence report. But then, they found the body of April with a gunshot in the hallway of the Jace’s home. The handgun was found in the house as well. Both Jace and the children were held at the police station for at least four hours before the due process started.
The main cause of the attack is still unknown, but allegedly the state of mind of the accused was unstable enough to execute his wife. Some court rumors said that infidelity issues may arise in the trial.
The trial
Jace was detained in 2014 and the trial was meant to start in January this year, however, it was postponed several times until now. The trial is based upon a single count of murder with a gun allegation and the bail will probably be set at $2 million.
The defense is going to use the mental state argument in order to give basis to the not guilty plea they made. As they will be building the entire defense in the existence of psychological disorders in the accused. The trial is expected to last at least a week, starting on Monday.
The case has been in the public eye due to the fame of the accused. However, Jace’s feature as an actor may affect the development of the trial. If the actor is convicted, he could receive a 50 years sentence, minimum.
About the Jace Family
Michael Jace was married to April Jace for almost 11 years and had two children, two boys of 8 and 5 years old. April was 40 years old and worked as a financial aid counselor at a University. There was a domestic violence record among the couple, according to a family member. The Jace Family’s neighbors stated they never witnessed any domestic violence act. It was rather the opposite, they claim, as Michael was known to be a loving and caring father and spouse.
What it is known is that the family faced economic troubles and financial issues due to a bankruptcy in 2011. Thus, resulting in neither Michael nor April be able to recover back from it. Probably, the family debt was around the $500,000 minimum.
Source: Fox News