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Arrest affidavit: Man accused of fatally shooting wife claimed she killed herself

Posted at 9:14 AM, Jan 24, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-24 11:20:31-05

DENVER - The Denver medical examiner's office has identified a woman found dead inside her home on Sunday.

Clarissa Wilkens, 30, was pronounced dead at an apartment building in the 1500 block of South Albion Street.

Wilkens' husband, Cain Wilkens, 43, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of first-degree murder.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Denver7, officers responded to the home at about 3:30 a.m. Sunday after receiving a report of a suicide attempt. The caller said a man had come into the building manager's unit saying his wife had just shot herself.

The responding officers and paramedics found Clarissa Wilkens unresponsive in a bedroom of the apartment. 

Detectives searched the apartment and found evidence of a scuffle, including a broken picture frame and items that were tipped over, according to the affidavit. A witness also reported hearing a woman screaming "no" repeatedly and a man yelling, "Get back here."

Examination of Clarissa Wilkens' body also showed evidence that disputed Cain Wilkens' claim of suicide, according to the affidavit. The medical examiner found one bullet entry wound on the back of her head and no signs of soot or stippling near the wound, which would usually be present in a close-range gunshot wound. There also was not any blood on her hands, the affidavit states.