Meet The Hollywood actor who shot his wife dead in front of their sons
American actor Michael Jace had small parts in films Planet Of The Apes, Boogie Nights and Forrest Gump, but he was best known for his role as a Los Angeles police officer in TV drama series The Shield.
He played a law-abiding religious man who often clashed with his anti-gang unit because he always insisted on sticking to the rule book.
His character was the good guy but, off screen, family man Michael had a problem distinguishing right from wrong. Once the acting jobs dried up, Michael’s life spiralled out of control and he reached for a real gun…
Michael, 54, lived in his Los Angeles home with his wife April, 40, and their sons aged eight and five. April had a teenage son from a previous relationship who’d left home.
On May 19, 2014, April had taken her two youngest sons to a youth baseball game. She loved to support her sons from the sidelines, but that day, Michael made it impossible for her to concentrate.
He’d been drinking heavily and bombarded her with text messages all day, accusing her of having an affair. She denied the claims, but he just carried on trying to guess who it was. April made it clear that she was scared of her unstable husband and was worried about coming back to the family home.
"I don’t want you throwing things and breaking things and screaming lies to the boys," she wrote in a text. "I am afraid to come home."
When Michael’s first marriage broke down, his ex-wife accused him of being abusive and choking her in front of the children. Had his fiery temper returned?
Michael texted April back and told her that he’d left the home they shared. But it was a lie to get her to return. In fact, he was waiting with a loaded revolver. When April got home with her boys, she discovered Michael was still there and they argued. He pulled her into the hallway and pointed the gun at her as their children looked on.
"You like to run so much. Why don’t you try running to heaven?" he said.
Michael shot her three times – once in the back and twice in the legs. Then he dialled 911.
"I shot my wife," he said, calmly.
He even called April’s father and told him to come and pick up the boys because he’d shot their mother.
Four ruined lives
When the police arrived and told Michael that April had died from her gunshot wounds, reality finally set in for the troubled actor.
"I just ruined lives," he said to a detective. "Four lives. I mean, you could put the needle in my arm right now and be done. I’m fine with that."
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