Goodyear man arrested in connection with wife's fatal shooting

A man was arrested Saturday in connection with the death of his wife after a fatal shooting in Goodyear, police officials said.

According to court documents, 67-year-old Michael Gelleny called Goodyear police at 4:51 p.m. on July 6, stating that he shot his wife, 65-year-old Brenda Gelleny, once in the back of the head and needed police and a coroner at their residence near Estrella Parkway and Tanglewood Drive.

Court documents said, during the call, Gelleny told police he wanted to make it as quick as possible and that his wife did not know it was coming. He added that all of his firearms were unloaded and on the table inside the residence, courts records stated.

In a post-Miranda interview, court documents stated Gelleny admitted to killing his wife and said he decided to end her life because she had been in "pain and suffering" for over four years.

According to court records, Gelleny said he loaded his gun on the morning of July 5, before his wife woke up. After she woke up, he kissed her and told her he loved her before retrieving the gun and shooting her once in the back of the head as she walked down the hallway, records stated.

Gelleny put his wife's body in a bedroom, cleaned up the blood and contemplated taking his own life or turning himself in, court documents said. On the morning of July 6, he decided to call the police and turn himself in, the documents stated.

While executing a search warrant for the home, detectives found a note detailing what Gelleny had done and how to take care of his cat, court documents said.

Goodyear police arrested Gelleny at 5:08 p.m. at their residence, according to police officials. Gelleny was booked into a Maricopa County jail on one count of first-degree murder and one count of tampering with physical evidence, records stated.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Goodyear man Michael Gelleny held in wife Brenda Gelleny's shooting