Man Accused of Murdering Ex-Wife, Caught on Camera Moving Bloodstained Mattress

A man from Maryland, accused of shooting his ex-wife, was seemingly filmed by a news crew removing a bloodied mattress from his house shortly after he informed a reporter that he had returned home to find her deceased.

Karl Geiger, 65, is said to have informed local NBC affiliate WBAL on Sept. 15 that he left his Baltimore County home, where he still lived with his ex-wife, Patricia Watson-Geiger, 69, at around 7 a.m. and did not return until approximately 8:30 p.m., according to the outlet. Despite divorcing in 2019, the couple continued living together as housemates, as reported by WBAL.

Geiger told the outlet he entered the residence and found Watson-Geiger dead in her bedroom and immediately called 911.

After speaking with WBAL, he was allegedly caught on camera disposing of a blood-stained mattress.

“It looks like somebody broke into my house and my wife’s not moving,” Geiger reported to a 911 dispatcher that night, according to a probable cause statement for his arrest. “[Geiger] described his house as appearing ransacked, and his wife (ex-wife) to be unresponsive,” the statement reveals.

Officers dispatched to the location discovered Watson-Geiger covered with “blankets and sheets” and wearing a “sleeping mask over her eyes,” the police disclosed. Several dresser drawers were reportedly ajar in her room, a flat screen television was placed on the floor, and her jewelry box was open with drawers pulled out on top of her dresser; however, both gold and silver jewelry remained inside.

Geiger, who occupied a separate bedroom, also had “several of his dresser drawers” opened and items displaced, per the probable cause statement, yet authorities noted that nothing appeared stolen. “The victim’s purse was located on the kitchen counter with the contents of the purse dumped out,” the statement claims. “Numerous credit/debit cards and coins were observed on the counter.”

Geiger was questioned about what happened and he claimed to have found Watson-Geiger in the “same position” in her bed as she was when he left that morning. He told cops that he “had no idea that she had been shot” until detectives informed him during the interview.

“Numerous friends and neighbors were interviewed during the initial stages of this investigation,” the probable cause statement says. “One witness advised that they came home from work sometime between 8:00 a.m.-8:30 a.m. and was walking their dog in the driveway when they heard 1-2 gunshots.”

Another witness told police that they allegedly found out the victim was murdered on Sept. 16, while they were out of town and immediately called Geiger to find out what happened. Geiger allegedly said Watson-Geiger had been shot in the head.

“At no point during this investigation did anyone tell the defendant where the victim was shot,” the probable cause statement alleges. “In fact, on 9/22/25, during a follow up interview with the defendant at his house, he told detectives that he still didn’t know where the victim was shot.”

Surveillance footage from a nearby residence allegedly captured audio of a gunshot being heard at around 7:58 a.m.; Geiger’s large “rollback tow truck” that he drives was caught on video leaving the former couple’s residence at around 8:15 a.m., roughly 45 minutes after he claimed to have left, per cops. Cellphone records also allegedly “dispute” Geiger’s claims and show that he was “clearly home until 8:15 a.m.,” according to police.

“The crime scene has the appearance of a staged burglary with no items being identified by the defendant as being stolen,” the probable cause statement concludes.

Court records show Geiger was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder for the alleged slaying. He was being held Thursday without bond.