A Rhode Island man wanted for the murder of his wife died Saturday in a vehicle crash during a police pursuit, ABC News reported.
Authorities identified Joseph Francis as the suspect in the fatal shooting of his wife, Stephanie Francis, who was found with a gunshot wound in their Hopkinton, Rhode Island home, according to ABC News. Police issued a warrant Friday and the incident unfolded when Westerly police recognized Francis driving and attempted to stop him, but he managed to elude them.
Police from Richmond and Charlestown later joined the chase. The pursuit ended when Francis’ vehicle failed to make a turn, rolled several times and stopped near some woods. Officers found him dead inside the vehicle, the outlet reported. Prior to this incident, Francis was charged in May following a domestic altercation with his wife, involving accusations of physical assault and destruction of property.
Rhode Island man killed in police chase after being accused of killing his wife. https://t.co/dRS1O3lVSF pic.twitter.com/sRtReSMtkj
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These charges included disorderly conduct, domestic violence and domestic simple assault. Additionally, he was found in violation of a state law prohibiting high-capacity magazines after police seized two handguns and several loaded high-capacity magazines from him, ABC NEws reported. Following these incidents, a court order had been issued to prevent Francis from contacting his wife. (RELATED: Video Shows Wild Police Chase End After Woman Hits Multiple Vehicles Head On)
The ongoing investigations by local law enforcement aimed to bring Francis to justice for the alleged murder when the fatal pursuit occurred, according to ABC News.
