Prosecutors have filed a charge of first-degree murder after deliberation against a 47-year-old Observatory Park man accused of killing his wife while she pleaded for help on a call with a 911 operator.
Richard Kirk purchased marijuana candy around 6:40 p.m. Monday and is accused of shooting his wife to death about three hours later. He remains in custody, and he faces a court appearance on Monday.
Kristine A. Kirk called 911 at 9:31 p.m. Monday to report that her husband was ranting about the end of the world, hallucinating and urging her to shoot him, according to a search warrant affidavit.
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Detectives said Kirk could be heard on the 911 call talking about taking some marijuana candy. His wife also said he might have consumed painkillers.
The 44-year-old woman spent 13 minutes on the phone with the 911 operator. According to dispatch recordings from Monday night, it took officers more than 15 minutes to arrive at the brick Tudor home.
Inside the basement of the home, located in the 2100 block of South St. Paul Street, detectives later found a receipt from Nutritional Elements, a marijuana store in southeast Denver. The receipt and a review of video surveillance from the store show that Kirk purchased “Karma Kandy Orange Ginger,” a candy form of edible marijuana, and “Pre 98 Bubba Kush Pre-Roll,” a prerolled joint.
A detective who spoke to Kirk after the shooting said he “appeared to be under the influence of some type of controlled substance and/or prescription pill based upon his speech patterns, his inability to focus and his pupils,” the affidavit said.
On Friday, all of the marijuana edibles had been pulled from the shelves of the pot shop.
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794, jsteffen@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jsteffendp
