Man charged with second-degree murder in slaying of wife

A 28-year-old man was arrested last week in the slaying of his wife after he initially told detectives that she had committed suicide, North Las Vegas police said Monday.

Earl Barbeau was arrested Friday on a charge of second-degree murder and was booked into the North Las Vegas Detention Center.

Police said they were called to Barbeau's home in the 3000 block of Asher Lane about 1:15 a.m. Friday.

When officers arrived, they found Barbeau's 38-year-old wife dead from a gunshot wound. He told police she had committed suicide, but an investigation found inconsistencies in his story.

Update: On Nov. 3, 2014, Barbeau pled guilty to neglect resulting in the death of a person. According to sentencing documents, the state acknowledged that Barbeau did not kill his wife, but intentionally left a loaded gun in an area where she had access to it.