Affidavit: Colorado Springs man arrested for allegedly smothering wife with plastic bag

Mar. 5—Colorado Springs police on Thursday arrested a 70-year-old man who allegedly pulled a plastic garbage bag over his wife's head and cinched it around her neck during an argument.

Ernest Bailey could be charged with attempted murder, according to an arrest affidavit.

Two officers responded to a call about a domestic disturbance at 13 Stovel Circle in eastern Colorado Springs. When they arrived, they questioned Bailey and his wife, Susan, separately.

Mrs. Bailey told an officer that the couple were having an argument over money when Bailey, who was holding a garbage bag at the time, draped the bag over her head and face and tightened it around her neck so she couldn't breathe.

Bailey corroborated his wife's statement, adding that he held the bag over her head for about one minute while she fought for breath and asked, "Are you ready to shut up?" before removing the bag.

Police said that shortly after the argument, Susan Bailey sent a text to their daughter saying, "Your dad just put a trash bag over my head tightened it around my neck and tried to smother me."

At about the same time, Bailey sent a text to their son, which read, "Somebody better do something about your mother! She just pushed me to the point I tried to smother her to shut her up!"

Both texts were later placed into evidence.

Officers took Bailey into custody and booked him into El Paso County Jail, where he is being held without bail, court records show.

Attempted murder in the second degree is a Class 3 felony in the state of Colorado, punishable by up to 12 years imprisonment and $750,000 in fines, according to the state's criminal statutes.