KHQ Right Now - News and Weather for Spokane and North Idaho | Husband charged in wife's stabbing death

Husband charged in wife's stabbing death

SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. - Spokane County Sheriff's major crimes detectives have charged a North Spokane County man with First-Degree Murder in connection with his wife's death early Wednesday.

Jeffrey N. Canino, 46, is under guard at a downtown Spokane hospital where he is undergoing treatment for what detectives believe are self-inflicted stab wounds.

The woman's name has not been released. The Spokesman-Review reports the home is owned by Jeffrey and Michelle Canino.

Sheriff's spokesman Dave Reagan said authorities received a call shortly before daybreak from a woman screaming for help. The call came from a home in the 4500 block of E. Woodglen, but the call was disconnected before an address was given.

Deputies were responding the area where the call came from and while on their way, a second call came in and the woman was still screaming.

About five minutes after the second call, the first deputy arrived at the home and was met at the door by a 11-year-old boy who was bleeding from cuts on his hand.

The deputy was able to see a woman and a man on the floor of the kitchen inside the home. The woman had already died by the time the deputy saw her and the man had suffered critical injuries.

Another deputy arrived on scene and took the boy, who authorities say is the couple's son, upstairs until medics arrived on scene.  He was treated and released into the care of his grandparents.

A sheriff's spokesman said investigators were in no hurry to charge the suspect after being advised by hospital staff that he was in critical condition and on a ventilator in the facility's Intensive Care Unit.  However late Wednesday afternoon his condition had improved slightly and he was scheduled to be removed from the ventilator Wednesday night.  Learning that he might become ambulatory, detectives booked him on the felony murder charge.

Sgt. Bill Beeman said probable cause to arrest Canino was based on interviews and evidence collected at the scene of the homicide, 4518 E. Woodglen in Mead.  He also said the autopsy of the victim will be conducted by the Spokane Medical Examiner's Office on Thursday.