SEATTLE (AP) – A man accused of drunkenly shooting his wife to death during an Uber ride in Seattle pleaded not guilty Thursday to second-degree murder.
Cameron Espitia, 31, who is jailed on $3 million bail, told investigators he had been drinking and “having a bad night” but didn’t remember what happened during the ride July 2, according to charging documents.
Authorities said he was sitting in the back of the ride-hailing vehicle and his wife, Jennifer Morrison Espitia, 29, was in the front passenger seat.
The driver described hearing a bang and seeing the woman slumped over. The couple had been arguing about whether to attend a wedding after-party, deputy King County prosecutor Jessica Berliner wrote in court papers.
“The defendant decided he was going to ‘cut loose’ at a wedding,” she wrote. “Despite the fact that he was armed with a loaded firearm, he consumed numerous alcoholic drinks and argued with his wife when she wanted him to go home instead of proceeding to the after-party.”