Husband charged with reckless homicide ‘after giving suicidal wife a gun to “call her bluff”’

Michael Joseph Krupienski, 71, is charged with reckless homicide in the death of his wife

Michael Joseph Krupienski has been charged with homicide after his wife’s suicide death (Erie County Jail)

An Ohio man is behind bars after he allegedly gave a loaded gun to his wife when she threatened to kill herself - which she then used to take her own life.

Police say 71-year-old Michael Joseph Krupienski handed his wife, 81-year-old Maria, the weapon she used to take her own life on Sunday at their home in Vermilion. When officers arrived, they found Maria dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Vermilion Police Chief Chris Hartung told Fox 8 Cleveland.

The couple had been drinking at the VFW in Avon before returning home, Krupienski told police.

He said the anniversary of their daughter’s suicide was coming up and that Maria, who was under the influence of alcohol, “made suicidal thoughts out loud.”

So Krupienski retrieved a loaded .357-magnum handgun and handed it to her to “call her bluff,” police said. She then shot herself.

Krupienski was arrested and charged with reckless homicide, a third-degree felony. He will be arraigned on Tuesday morning at the Vermilion Municipal Courthouse.

He’s currently being held in the Erie County Jail on no bond.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you. In the UK, people having mental health crises can contact the Samaritans at 116 123 or jo@samaritans.org.