Details unraveled in a court sentencing today(12/6/19), detailing a man's plan to hurt his wife.
After reaching a negotiated plea, Dale Agnew previously pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping and aggravated burglary. On Friday in Allen County Common Pleas Court, the Waynesfield man was sentenced to the maximum 22 years in prison. To make his case to the judge, the prosecutor detailed how Agnew got to this point.
Agnew's wife had left him and he found her new home and arrived unannounced. On August 4th, 2018, he entered her home and began a physical struggle for nearly three hours. Agnew brought all sorts of tools to bound her and hurt her, maybe even kill.
"A funnel and alcohol and pills were also listed and found. Indicating that in all probability the design here was to bind the victim, take the funnel, force ingestion of a combination of alcohol and or pills in an effort to kill her," explained Randall Basinger, Assistant Allen County prosecutor.
Agnew had a written plan that was found during the investigation. Writing out multiple ways to possibly kill the victim and stage it as a suicide. He went as far as to write a suicide note for her. Agnew says this happened because he has been severely depressed and suicidal.
"And I told her that I thought about tying her up to make her watch me kill myself because I wanted her to hurt inside as much as I did. And this is where we start talking and she talked me out of it," stated Agnew.
The judge acknowledged Agnew's mental health trouble but says Agnew had a history of deceitful actions.
"But that again is a classic sign of a manipulation of a domestic violence victim. I'm going to hurt myself. This is what you've done to me. I'd rather kill myself than live without you. That is classic manipulation to get her to come back. To get her to do what he wants to do," said Judge Terri Kohlrieser.
She also says the plan found is something you'd see in a movie.
