Inset: Jeffrey Evans (Broward County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Home in Coral Springs, Florida, where he allegedly assaulted his wife, who later ended up dead in a canal (Google Maps).
A Florida man is behind bars after his wife was found dead in a canal near their home following an argument over infidelity.
Jeffrey Ernest Evans, 43, is not presently facing charges related to the death of his wife, Jessica Evans. Instead, he is accused of domestic violence battery after she confessed to infidelity because she believed he had been unfaithful as well, according to an arrest affidavit detailing probable cause. Jeffrey Evans contacted 911 shortly before 9 p.m. on Monday, claiming his wife was experiencing a “mental break” and required assistance at their residence on the 9900 block of NW 15th Court in Coral Springs, as documented by police.
A few minutes later, dispatchers received a call from a neighbor who said he heard a woman screaming “My husband is trying to kill me!”
Cops responded to the scene and found the woman’s body floating face down in a nearby canal. She was later pronounced dead.
Upon receiving his Miranda rights, the husband informed the officers that an argument with his wife had ensued the previous night after she accused him of cheating. She left but did not return that night. She allegedly came back the following day, revealing she sought revenge by cheating on him, as noted in the affidavit. On the night of her death, she apparently attempted to take her husband’s laptop to look for evidence of his alleged infidelity.
This attempt resulted in a physical altercation, causing her to fall, according to police. The defendant stated that he believed tensions had dissipated and they were reconciling. He mentioned that they both went into the bedroom, but when he momentarily left the room, she was gone when he returned.
Jeffrey Evans went outside and found her running between two houses across the street yelling “Help! He’s going to kill me!” the affidavit said.
He attempted to restrain her and bring her back inside but “recognized that an outsider might perceive him as the ‘aggressor'” due to her shouting accusations against him, as reported by police. Consequently, he said he retreated indoors and called 911.
The investigation remains ongoing. Cops have not yet released the cause and manner of death.
He remains in the Broward County Jail on a $1,000 bond.
